Auction Alert: Summer Antiques & Interiors Auction

UNISEX LIP MACH 2000 MAFIA MOON AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH

When we lived in Yorkshire, Hartleys Auctioneers and Valuers in Ilkley used to be one of our favourite places to pick up stock – and items for personal use too. They hold a regular fortnightly sale and then, less frequent, antique and ‘finest’ sales. Their upcoming Summer Antiques & Interiors Auction takes place on Wednesday 14th June 2023 from 9.30am.

Hartley’s buyer’s premium currently stands at 20% + VAT. As well as being there on the day, you can phone or email in bids in advance or bid live online at EasyLiveAuction (incurs an extra charge of £3 or 3%) or The Saleroom (incurs an extra 4.95%).

Check Hartley’s website for their recommended shipping companies.

PETER HAYES studio pottery vase

Lot 87: PETER HAYES (b.1946)

A studio pottery vase of flattened rounded oblong section with small neck, carved with an abstract wood pattern in a streaky brown glaze, seal mark, signed and dated (19)88, 7 1/2″ high (subject to Artists Resale Right)
Estimate: £100 – £200

Vintage Bernard Rooke pottery totem lamp base

Lot 88: BERNARD ROOKE (b.1938)

A tall stoneware sectional Totem lamb (sic) base with six part glazed and unglazed sections, apparently unmarked, 39 3/4″ high excluding fitting (Illustrated) (subject to Artists Resale Right)
Estimate: £250 – £400

GERMAN GREEN DAUMENGLAS OR THUMB GLASS AND COVER

Lot 91: A GERMAN GREEN DAUMENGLAS OR THUMB GLASS AND COVER

c.1800, of barrel form, the central section with six deep “thumb holes” within milled threads, 14″ high, together with a later smaller Daumenglas of barrel form, each side with three faux holes enclosed by applied milled threads, 6″ high (2) (Part Illustrated)
Estimate: £600 – £800

UNISEX LIP MACH 2000 MAFIA MOON AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH

Lot 159: A UNISEX LIP MACH 2000 MAFIA MOON AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH

Designed by Roger Tallon, the circular chapter ring with red and white line markings, centre seconds hand and date aperture at 6, in an oblong case with red ball adjuster on original rubber strap
Estimate: £100 – £150

GEORG JENSEN SILVER NECK RING

Lot 187: A GEORG JENSEN SILVER NECK RING

Designed by Vivianna Torun Bulow-Hube with tension clamp and hung with a polished smoky quartz square pendant with bar suspension, both stamped and Torun numbered 169 and 132 (Illustrated)
Estimate: £600 – £800

A WENDY RAMSHAW SILVER AND AMETHYST STACKING RING

Lot 189: A WENDY RAMSHAW SILVER AND AMETHYST STACKING RING

The six plain rings each set with a graduated close back collet set cabochon stone, London 1972, size M 1/2 (Illustrated)
Estimate: £700 – £900

PAIR OF LARGE CHANDELIER EAR HOOPS

Lot 203: A PAIR OF LARGE CHANDELIER EAR HOOPS

Of D form, collet set with turquoise, malachite and a ruby(?) on an applied filigree work ground, plain backs, the large hoops with loops to attach to smaller ear hoops
Estimate: £400 – £600

SET OF TEN RECLAIMED METAL HERB LABELS

Lot 489: A SET OF TEN RECLAIMED METAL HERB LABELS

Each on a turned post with rust patination, 6″ – 13″ x 37 1/2″
Estimate: £100 – £150

PAIR OF ANTELOPE CHAIRS BY ERNEST RACE

Lot 581: ERNEST RACE – A PAIR OF ANTELOPE CHAIRS

Designed for the Festival of Britain 1951, with white enamel metal frame and blue painted bentwood seat, remnant of label to one, 22″ x 15 1/2″ x 31 1/4″ (Est. plus 24% premium inc. VAT) See Lesley Jackson Modern British Furniture Design Since 1945 (V&A) page 105 plate 110 for a similar design
Estimate: £150 – £250

Victorian drop-end Chesterfield setee

Lot 624: A VICTORIAN WALNUT FRAMED CHESTERFIELD DROP END SETTEE

Button upholstered in mustard yellow, on turned tapering feet with castors, 69″ x 34″ 28 1/4″
Estimate: £250 – £450

Designer Desire: Rafael Alfandary

Montage of Rafael Alfandary jewellery designs

If you happen across a piece of brutalist, modernist jewellery by Rafael Alfandary, you’d be forgiven for believing that the designer was Scandinavian. In fact, Rafael Alfandary (d. 2005) was from Canada via Israel and born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia.

Alfandary initially trained as a mechanical engineer, finding his way into jewellery-making accidentally after creating a piece for his ESL teacher.

His creations were usually formed of copper, brass and sterling silver set with coloured cabochon Murano glass. They wouldn’t look out of place on Cleopatra or Nefertiti.

Clients included Prince, Margaret Trudeau, Liberace, Muhammad Ali, Paul Anka and Redd Foxx.

Find vintage examples of his work to buy on eBay and Etsy.

Portrait of Rafael Alfandary
Original Toronto Star caption: Rafael Alfandary, mechanical engineer who moved to Toronto from Tel Aviv seven months ago and started designing jewelry, puts one of his copper necklaces on his wife, Esther. She wears bracelet with two rings he designed.

credit

Additional image credits:
LiveAuctioneers | Samantha Howard Vintage

Designer Desire: Kordes & Lichtenfels

Montage of Kordes & Lichtenfels jewellery

I was trawling through either Pinterest or Instagram recently (I can’t remember which) and came across some very beautiful, Scandi-looking, brutalist jewellery. It turns out that it was made by a company called Kordes & Lichtenfels. Despite finding extensive examples of their designs online (not all mid-century modernist in design as the ones we’ve chosen to highlight above), there’s sketchy information available about the company or its jewellery designers.

Founded in Germany in 1884 and based in the famed jewellery-making centre of Pforzheim, Kordes & Lichtenfels were manufacturers of deluxe jewellery fashioned from gold, silver and rolled gold with semi-precious stones. In the 1970s, the company evolved into Merz Export GmbH and, from 2017, another company Andreas Daub took over the production.

There are lots of pieces of Kordes & Lichtenfels jewellery available for sale on eBay and Etsy.

Image credits:
Pinterest | Poshmark

Auction alert: Jewellery & Watches

A sapphire and diamond Maltese cross brooch

An exciting Jewellery & Watches auction takes place at Roseberys in London on Tuesday 13th September 2022, from 11am.

Regular readers will know that I’m a massive jewellery fan – especially antique & vintage jewellery. I love the Art Deco period, Georgian & Victorian mourning jewellery and brutalist Scandinavian pieces. My favourite colour is purple, so amethyst is a favourite stone. The item of jewellery that I most covet is an antique baguette or step-cut, channel set, full eternity diamond ring in white gold or platinum. Many of these can be found in this upcoming sale… now, if only I had a spare few quid sloshing about!

There are some famous jewellery and watch-makers represented at this sale; including Asprey, Cartier, Chaumet, Hermès and Mappin and Webb.

One of the of advantages of researching auction lots is you often learn the meanings of words and terms. Today, I found out that parure is a matching set of jewels and a surete (or more correctly, sûreté) pin is a safety pin. Calibré cut gems, popular in Art Deco jewellery, are often square or rectangular shaped and channel set very close together. A navette cut is a gem in the shape of a boat – unless it’s a diamond, then it’s referred to as marquise cut – shaped to resemble the lips of the Marquise (or Madame) de Pompadour – a lover of King Luis XV. Oh, the blackholes you can fall into while blogging!

If you’re planning on bidding, don’t forget added charges; their buyer’s premium is 25% + VAT (30% inclusive of VAT) which will be added on to the final hammer price of each item. You’ll need to register with Roseberys to bid live online. Alternatively, bidding is available on the Invaluable, Live Auctioneers and Saleroom sites.

Roseberys is unable to pack and ship items in-house, but they recommend a number of delivery companies.

A Georgian, rose-cut diamond comet brooch

Lot 1: A Georgian, rose-cut diamond comet brooch
Designed as an openwork circle of rose-cut diamonds with engraved scroll surmount and rose-cut diamond terminal. c. 1830, length 2.6cm This brooch is one of many different types produced in the early 19th century to commemorate Halley’s comet. Halley’s Comet is arguably the most famous comet in history. it was first recorded in 1705 by the astronomer Edmund Halley. As a “periodic” comet, it returns to Earth’s vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a person to see it twice in their lifetime. It was last here in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061
Estimate: £200 – £300

A group of six gem-set and diamond eternity rings

Lot 68: A group of six gem-set and diamond eternity rings
Set with brilliant- and single-cut diamonds and calibre-cut sapphires, rubies and emeralds respectively. (6)
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500

A pair of emerald and diamond ear clips

Lot 112: A pair of emerald and diamond ear clips
Each of scroll design centring on a cut-cornered square emerald, within a scroll surround of brilliant- and single-cut diamonds, clip and post fittings. c.1960 Accompanied by a gemmological report from Amsterdam & Sauer.
Estimate: £2,000 – £3,000

A pair of Art Deco, aquamarine and diamond dress clips

Lot 114: A pair of Art Deco, aquamarine and diamond dress clips
Each of palmette design set with oval-shaped and step-cut aquamarines, framed by single-cut diamonds. c.1930, length 2.5cm
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

A sapphire and diamond Maltese cross brooch

Lot 125: A sapphire and diamond Maltese cross brooch
Designed as a central claw-set circular-cut sapphire with brilliant-cut diamond-set openwork arms, stamped 750, width 5.5cm
Estimate: £2,000 – £3,000

A suite of cultured pearl and diamond jewellery

Lot 160: A suite of cultured pearl and diamond jewellery
Comprising: a ring; pendant ; and pair of ear clips, each set with a single grey cultured pearl accented with marquise and square diamonds, ring size J, clip and post fittings.
Estimate: £1,500 – £2,000

Asprey & Co, an amethyst and diamond flower surete pin

Lot 164: Asprey & Co, an amethyst and diamond flower surete pin
By Asprey, composed of four navette-cut amethyst cluster flowerheads each with a brilliant-cut diamond centre, to a navette-cut diamond and diamond cluster keeper, signed Asprey, length, 7.5cm, stamped 18K
Estimate: £300 – £500

A gold, diamond and hematite parure

Lot 180: A gold, diamond and hematite parure
By Deakin & Francis, comprising a collar, bangle and pair of ear clips, the collar and bangle of gas pipe design, each accented with hematite cabochons and brilliant-cut diamond detail, the ear clips of matching design, British hallmarks for 9-carat gold, steel spring to collar and bangle.
Estimate: £600 – £800

Chaumet, a diamond eternity ring

Lot 206: Chaumet, a diamond eternity ring
By Chaumet, set with princess- and brilliant-cut diamonds, signed Chaumet, numbered, ring size L.
Estimate: £800 – £1,200

An amethyst and gem necklace

Lot 247: An amethyst and gem necklace
Composed of large cabochon gems including: amethyst, lemon citrine, citrine and smokey quartz, to chain-link connections, length 43cm
Estimate: £2,500 – £3,000

Cartier, an 18ct gold, diamond band ring

Lot 268: Cartier, an 18ct gold, diamond band ring
By Cartier, pave-set with brilliant-cut diamonds, signed Cartier and numbered, 626961, European convention hallmarks, French assay and maker’s marks, ring size M.
Estimate: £3,000 – £5,000