Jeweled Masterpieces Float Before Your Eyes at the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault

Étiquettes

Amethyst Necklace, Emerald Tiara, Garnet Necklace, Garnet Ring, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Morganite Necklace, orange mandarin garnet, red garnet, Sapphire Brooch, sapphire ring, Tahitian Pearl Necklace, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault, Yellow Sapphire

Amethyst Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace contains 273.46 carats of amethyst and 13.21 carats of diamonds.

Emerald Tiara. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum tiara contains a 42.4-carat center emerald, 7.56 carats of emeralds on the sides and 7.89 carats of pavé diamonds.

Garnet Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This 22-karat yellow gold necklace has a 99-carat, deep red garnet center stone, 3.015 carats of pavé diamonds and 50.65 carats of garnets. The garnets vary in shade from deep red to bright orange, drawing the eye upwards from the large center stone.

Garnet Ring. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This ring of 18-karat, yellow gold has a 39.35 carat deep orange mandarin garnet surrounded by 10.05 carats of pavé cognac diamonds.

Morganite Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace has a 68.80-carat morganite center stone, 1.91 carats of pavé diamonds, 2.88 carats of pear shaped diamonds and 11.01 carats of pink, pear-shaped sapphires.

Sapphire Brooch. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum brooch has a 168-carat, yellow sapphire center stone, a 0.65-carat, yellow sapphire side stone, 3.46 carats of green diamonds and 2.92 carats of pave diamonds.

Sapphire Ring. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum ring has a 62-carat center sapphire surrounded by 4.39 carats of pavé diamonds.

Tahitian Pearl Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace contains a 15.5-millimeter Tahitian pearl, eight side pearls of 10.5 millimeters each and 6.76 carats of diamonds. Tahitian Pearls, also called “black pearls,” come from the black-lipped oyster and are highly valued for their rarity.

The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault completes the story begun by the now world-renowned Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals.

Ultimate Combination of Natural Perfection & Artistic Execution

In selecting many of the objects for inclusion in the Gem Vault, the Museum’s curators used their extensive connections in the mineralogical world to acquire mineral “cutting rough” of precious gemstones freshly extracted from mines around the world. The Museum could thus have these very best natural stones cut to its exact specifications into faceted gems of exact specifications, then crafted into original works under the skilled hands of jewelry designers, including Ernesto Moreira.

Made possible through the generous support of The Smith Foundation.

An art deco sapphire ring, circa 1930

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Art Deco, circa 1930, octagonal step-cut sapphire, sapphire ring, Sri Lankan sapphire

An art deco 10.14 carats octagonal step-cut sapphire ring, circa 1930. Sold for £146,500 (€185,890). Photo: Bonhams.

The octagonal step-cut sapphire, weighing 10.14 carats, in a four-claw setting with alternating baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds around the base, between baguette-cut diamond shoulders, numbered, ring size O (inner sizing band)

Accompanied by a report from SSEF stating that the sapphire is of Sri Lankan origin, with no indications of heating. Report number 76801, dated 3 October 2014.

According to the current owner this ring was purchased from Cartier, London.

Bonhams. FINE JEWELLERY, 4 Dec 2014 13:00 GMT, LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Tiffany & Co jewelry at Skinner, Fine Jewelry, September 9, 2014 10:00AM

Étiquettes

"Dot Losange" Bracelet, "Stitches" Ring, Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, c. 1916, cushion-cut sapphire, Gold Bracelet, Kashmir sapphire, Moonstone and Sapphire Brooch, Platinum and Diamond Solitaire, Plique-à-Jour, sapphire ring, Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co

Arts & Crafts 18kt Gold, Tourmaline, and Sapphire Necklace, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

the center oval plaque set with graduated tourmalines surrounded by sapphires and framed by colored pearls, completed by a triple strand of fancy link chain, lg. 13 1/2 in., signed, boxed. Estimate $40,000-50,000

Exhibitions: Tourmaline-Romancing the Stone: The Many Faces of Tourmaline, at the Harvard Mineralogical Museum, February 10, 2001-January 20, 2002.

Jewelry from a New England Collector, proceeds to benefit the Campaign for Catholic Schools.

18kt Gold and Enamel « Dot Losange » Bracelet, Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co., France. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

of alternating paillonne enamel and gold panels, interior cir. 6 in., maker’s mark and export stamps, signed. Estimate $20,000-30,000

Art Deco Kashmir Sapphire Ring, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

set with a cushion-cut sapphire measuring approx. 10.50 x 8.60 x 4.30 mm, in a platinum and 18kt gold mount, size 8 1/4, signed. Weight very approx. 3-3.25 cts. Sized. Estimate $20,000-30,000 

Note: Accompanied by AGL document no. CS61683, dated June 24, 2014, stating that the sapphire is natural, Kashmir origin, with no evidence of heat.

Platinum and Diamond Solitaire, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

prong-set with a round brilliant-cut diamond weighing 2.03 cts., size 6 3/4, no. 18415879, signed. Estimate $18,000-22,000

Note: Accompanied by a Tiffany & Co. Diamond Certificate stating that the diamond is I color, VVS1 clarity. 

18kt Gold Bracelet, Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

designed as a strap of intertwining foliage, lg. 7 1/4 in., signed. Estimate $10,000-15,000

Arts & Crafts Moonstone and Sapphire Brooch, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

centering a large cushion-shape cabochon moonstone, with four cushion-shape sapphire accents, framed by delicate coils of platinum ropetwists, lg. 1 1/4 in., signed. Estimate $8,000-10,000

Note: For similar examples, see Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., pp. 72-75.

Jewelry from a New England Collector, proceeds to benefit the Campaign for Catholic Schools. 

18kt Gold and Diamond « Stitches » Ring, Schlumberger, Tiffany & Co. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

pave-set with full-cut diamonds and « stitch » motifs, approx. total wt. 3.75 cts., size 4 1/2, signed. Diamonds go all around, not sizeable. Estimate $4,000-6,000

Arts & Crafts 18kt Gold, Plique-à-Jour Enamel, and Pink Tourmaline Brooch, Tiffany & Co., c. 1916. Photo: Courtesy of Skinner, Inc.

bezel-set with a fancy-cut pink tourmaline, framed by beads, en plein enamel abstract lotus motifs, and panes of plique-a-jour enamel, lg. 1 1/4 in., signed. Estimate $4,000-6,000

Note: For similar brooches with stylized and geometric motif frames from this period, see Louis Comfort Tiffany at Tiffany & Co., p. 71.

Jewelry from a New England Collector, proceeds to benefit the Campaign for Catholic Schools.  

Skinner. Fine Jewelry. September 9, 2014 10:00AM.. 63 Park Plaza, Boston

Medieval zoomorphic sapphire ring, circa 12th – 14th century

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circa 12th - 14th century, Medieval, sapphire ring

Medieval zoomorphic sapphire ring, circa 12th – 14th century © 2014 LAPADA

Medieval zoomorphic sapphire ring. An important piece, horizontally set with a sapphire cabochon, originally used as a bead with lengthwise drill hole, in a closed back collet setting, bezel gripped either side by two pairs of gaping mouths of animals, possibly dragons, with their bodies flowing round the band, their forelegs outstretched towards their heads, their hindlegs swallowed by gaping snakes whose tails intertwine to form the rest of the band. Tested yellow gold, approximately 9.52g in weight, circa 12th – 14th century. PRICE GBP 17000.00

Accompanied by documentation stating that this piece was found at Backwell, North Somerset in 2012; reference GLO-40F421 under the Portable Antiquities Scheme, with supporting report from the British Museum declaring this item is Treasure, Treasure reference 2012 T690. Accompanied by an X-ray fluorescence analysis report summary stating the composition of the metal. Sapphire identified by Raman spectroscopy.

During the 12th – 15th century, medieval rings featuring monsters or dragons with gaping mouths were a popular decorative feature, especially in conjunction with the collet and the bezel. See Cherry, J. ‘Medieval Rings in The Ring: From Antiquity to the Twentieth Century’, p.56.

Further examples of rings with monsters’ heads can be seen in the British Museum, items AF. 1867 and AF.1000.

BERGANZA LTD. The Association of Art and Antique Dealers – LAPADA