For as long as humankind has been carrying weapons, people have been decorating them. Early designs were attempts to add a magical power to the piece. Later efforts were intended to beautify, and to show off the wealth and status of the owner. Elaborately embellished weaponry became a form of male jewelry while the ladies […]
Long Story
16 Carat Diamond from Colorado Kelsey Lake Mine Sold for $185,000
A 16.87 carat diamond from the Kelsey Lake Mine in Colorado was sold at auction for $185,000 in 2015. Buy, Value or Appraise Your Antique and Vintage Jewelry and Gems Bid or buy antique and vintage estate jewelry and gems for sale, value your item, or request a free appraisal to sell your collection. Many […]
The Enigma of Joan Clarke: Numismatist
Like many Holidays-makers (happy to be off work, though desperate to escape their relatives), I recently saw The Imitation Game. Based on true events, The Imitation Game chronicles the struggle of Alan Turing, father of the digital computer, to break the “unbreakable” Nazi Enigma code during World War II. I initially went to see Benedict […]
A Moment of Peace during a Time of War: The Christmas Truce of 1914
Christmas is a magical time of year for me. I come from a fairly German family (my mother hails from a small town near Ludwigsburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg) and there is no time of year that I feel more “German” than around Christmas. While we celebrate like most Americans (my father, like […]
Condition Significance in Collectible Coins
When we happen upon a pile of old coins in an estate’s closet or safe, usually our first reaction is to look for the oldest coins in the cache. It may be counterintuitive however, that age is not always the biggest determinant of value. While coins minted in the mid 20th century and forward tend […]
Hermès Scarves: Ties That Bind
My love affair with scarves began at the age of eleven when I inherited my grandmother’s collection. The rest of her clothes were given to charity when she died, but her scarves seemed too full of memory to let go – the many times had I seen her drape her shoulders or tie a knot […]
LOST in “S” by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst: A True Collectible
Why “S”? Because LOST. JJ Abrams does it again. But this time in book form. When the TV show LOST launched 10 years ago today, an argument erupted in my living room. It went something like this… WIFE: Will you watch this new show with me? It’s called LOST. ME: What’s it about? WIFE: A plane crash’s on an island. […]
A Jewelry Empire Near Miss: The Story of Marianne Ostier
One of the many perks for working in the jewelry department is that I am fortunate to see many gorgeous pieces from the major names in the industry such as Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef and Arpels, and others. However, for every sale, designers come across our desks who are not well-known today, and […]
