The history of fine jewelry production in the United States dates back to the 19th century. This was the period when some of America’s jewelry forerunners, including Tiffany & Co., gained a foothold in the market. The upcoming Fine Jewelry & Watches auction, to be presented by Hampton Estate Auction, features works by Tiffany and several other luxury jewelry makers. The auction includes over 450 lots, showcasing a variety of rings, earrings, and cufflinks.
A white gold and yellow diamond engagement ring and a pear-shaped diamond bridal ring are some of the highlights of this sale. A multicolored diamond pin brooch in 18 karat gold is another key lot, as well as a selection of watches. Standouts of this auction include a set of sapphire and diamond bow earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels and a carved coral and amethyst ring by David Webb. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bidsquare.
Explore over 170 lots of Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and more in the upcoming Luxury Fashion Holiday Auction offered by Abington Auction Gallery. Rising to the top of this sale is a golden brown leather satchel by Hermès. This Kelly bag is made of ostrich leather and features gold plated hardware. Another notable lot by Hermès is a rare equestrian scarf. This square silk scarf features various racehorses on royal blue. The scarf has hand-rolled edges.
Additional lots include a vintage Chanel camel chevron bag with leather and gold shoulder chains, as well as a golden zipper shoulder bag. A cherry red evening gown by Escada Couture is also featured. The dress has an ornate rose gold brocade pattern with a fitted bodice, a full skirt, and a net bustle. The boat neck and sleeves are trimmed in mink. Also featured is a vintage black crocodile handbag from the 1960s. This crocodile skin bag comes with a detachable yellow gold, sapphire, and diamond strap. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
From rocking chairs and German jugs to American furniture and paintings, Pook & Pook, Inc. will offer a selection of antique furniture, fine art, and decorative accessories in their upcoming Online Only Decorative Arts auction. Vintage sterling silver flatware is particularly highlighted, including patterns such as lotus and Chantilly. Corresponding tea service sets and assorted plates and dishes match the flatware on offer.
Leading the auction are two rocking chairs with horns built into their arms and legs. One chair is dark brown while the other is a lighter brown with pale stripes. Also featured are two German stoneware bellarmine jugs. These salt-glazed vessels were manufactured during the 18th century in what is now Western Germany. Other items showcased are a New England Federal mahogany secretary desk from around 1805 and a Marco Sassone oil painting of a Venetian canal. To view these and other lots and to place a bid, visit Bidsquare today.
In the 1930s and ’40s, the Santa Fe Scout provided train routes between Los Angeles and Chicago. It was designed with the budget-conscious traveler in mind. Available in the upcoming Historically Significant Railroadiana auction, presented by Dirk Soulis Auctions, is a porcelain sign for the Santa Fe Scout. The auction’s 300+ lots represent not only memorabilia from train lines but also historical ships and airplanes.
Also available in this auction is a builder’s plate from the S.S. President Warfield, also known as the S.S. Exodus. Both the ship and the manufacturer’s name form a circle within this builder’s plate. In 1947, this vessel, then called the S.S. Exodus, was used in an unsuccessful attempt to migrate 4,500 Jewish refugees from Europe to what was then Palestinian land. Several model airplanes are also included in this auction. Among these is a Northeast Airlines model, which the auction house indicates was used by travel agents around 1950. View each of these lots and register to bid on Live Auctioneers.
In the early 18th century, snuff bottles were produced specifically for the emperors of China. These miniature pieces, measuring three and a half inches high, demonstrate the craftsmanship of the Qing dynasty. A complete set of twelve snuff bottles will be available in the upcoming California Asian Art Auction, presented by California Asian Art Auction Gallery. Many of the items offered provide a glimpse of Asian life and culture.
Of the many bodhisattvas in Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara is widely revered as the lord of compassion. Avalokiteshvara is also believed to possess the ability to end all sufferings and render salvation. One of his forms is available in this sale, seated on a double lotus throne with beaded jewelry around his neck. Other featured lots include a range of blue and white Chinese porcelains, each in different patterns. During the Tang dynasty, blue pigment was imported from Persia for Chinese pottery. The intense color in blue-glazed ceramics was used in limited quantities. View all of these lots and register to bid at California Asian Art Auction.
The Winter Magic Auction, offered by Potter & Potter Auctions, is anchored by antique magic and allied arts books from the collection of Giovanni Pasqua (stage name “Roxy”). One available book is Le Livre Magique (1863), which is an example of a magician’s “blow book.” The contents of the book seem to change each time the magician blows on it and flips through the pages. This version includes twelve changes: birds, soldiers, flower bouquets, trained monkeys, captive bears, a church and castle, and more.
Also presented in the sale is an assortment of props, including a pair of handcuffs owned by Harry Houdini. These Bean Cobb handcuffs are worn but still in working condition. Thirteen additional pairs of handcuffs or restraints are available in the sale. More than 50 posters are also under the gavel, including one advertising the conjuring work of Chung Ling Soo (the stage name of William Ellsworth Robinson). In this colorful poster, Soo is pictured with a hand to his brow, sitting under a pagoda and looking out over a lake at sunset. View any of these lots and register to bid on Potter & Potter Auctions.
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy,” began President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s to Congress, “-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” Roosevelt’s statement, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, is regarded as the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II. Seventy-eight years and one week after the attack, the Historic Flags of World War II auction, presented by Heritage Auctions, will offer lots related to Pearl Harbor and World War II.
One of the auction’s highlighted lots is the original record of President Roosevelt’s 9 P.M. meeting the day of the Pearl Harbor attack. The report was typed by Myrtle Bergheim, the assistant to the President’s secretary. It outlines the briefings President Roosevelt received hours before his address to Congress. Bergheim saved this record herself, realizing its historical significance. Also included in this lot are other documents Bergheim preserved, most notably a list of people to include in a World War II memorial.
Also available is an American flag from the USS California. The vessel was stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. Two torpedos and one bomb struck the USS California, and the ship returned fire until it ran out of ammunition. The flag comes to auction in fair condition, and a full condition report is available in the lot description.
Another notable flag presented in this sale is an official presidential yacht flag from Franklin D. Roosevelt. Writing on the flag indicates it once flew on Mare Island, a peninsula near San Francisco.
Rounding out the auction’s featured lots is an encryption machine used by German forces during World War II. Heritage Auctions indicates in the lot description that most devices of this nature were either destroyed by the Germans to keep them away from Allied forces or destroyed after the war by order of Winston Churchill. Those interested in any of these lots can register to bid on Heritage Auctions
In the mid-17th century, the Navajo began sheep herding and harvesting wool with the skills they learned from Spanish settlers. The weaving skills of the Navajo craftswomen soon surpassed those of the Spanish. Until about the 1820s, the Navajo made simple striped blankets of blue, brown, and white bands. These blankets are called “first-phase chief’s blankets.” Around 1850, Navajo artisans began adding red rectangles to their blanket designs, a style known as “second-phase chief’s blankets.” These blankets almost always have 12 rectangles, grouped in pairs. An example of a second-phase blanket is highlighted in the upcoming Native American Art auction, presented by Bonhams.
Along with Navajo blankets, this auction will include Asian and decorative art. An early Hopi katsina doll is another key lot. Depicting Shalako Mana, the doll’s face has concentric rectangular eyes and a painted chin. A Chilkat blanket, an example of the Northwest coast’s weaving industry, is also among the featured items. Explore the full range of paintings, jewelry, statues, and baskets by registering to bid online on Bonhams.
M. Welte & Söhne was an instrument production house that helped develop automatic instruments and orchestrions. Large organs that can synthesize the sound of other instruments, orchestrions have complex inner workings made of rolled paper and radiating pipes. During the mid-19th century, orchestrions became a status symbol and indicator of wealth. One of Welte’s orchestrions from 1886 is featured in the upcoming Traditional Collector auction hosted by John Moran Auctioneers. This piece mimics the sound of timpani, bass, and snare drums in addition to 84 octaves.
Over 250 lots of Continental furniture, decorative art, and paintings are up for auction in this sale. Among the vintage and antique lots, a 1956 Bentley saloon car stands out. This English automobile features Empress doors, right-hand drive, and cut-out spats enclosing the rear wheels. The interior sports a wood dashboard and leather seats. Other key lots from this sale include an oil painting from Thomas Luny depicting a Dutch fleet of ships, a music box from the early 19th century with a singing bird inside, and several decorative French table clocks. Browse the catalog and register to bid on John Moran Auctioneers.
Manjushri, the bodhisattva of great wisdom and insight, is an important religious and cultural figure. In Buddhism, Manjushri is worshipped as the “Meditational Deity.” A gilt-bronze sculpture of the Manjushri Bodhisatta will be highlighted in the upcoming Fine Asian Works Of Art & Painting Auction, presented by Golden State Auction Gallery.
An ovoid-shaped vase from the Yongzheng Dynasty is also among the featured lots of this auction. The vase is fashioned with ring handles on either side of the porcelain. A framed text by Yu You Ren, a scholar of calligraphy, will also be available in this collection. Born in 1879, Yu You Ren was a Chinese artist whose works are featured in several museums and galleries around the world, including the National Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Explore the full listings and register to bid online at Golden State Auction Gallery.
