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Manhattan's Upper East Side Hosts Bonham & Butterfield's Jewelry Auction

By: Daniel Keene

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Christie's at Rockefeller Center will be highlighting the Catherine the Great Emerald Brooch at its April Jewelry sale. Bonham & Butterfield's April Jewelry sale on Madison Avenue will feature rare Antique French Jewelry. This will be Bonham's new jewelry head Vice President Susan Abele's first sale since taking over the role on April 1.
Estate Jewelers is how they typically refer to themselves. A small group, experts in their field, they specialize in Antique, Estate or Vintage Jewelry. The best Estate Jewelry shops and auctions are in New York, London and Paris. In addition to a selectionof hallmarked, hand- made antique jewelry, top jewelers may also carry designer names from makers such as Cartier, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Highly sought after, estate jewels have a certain flair, elegance and beauty that can be hard for modern jewels to compete with. Most of what we see on the market today is from the Victorian, Edwardian or Art Deco eras.
Victorian jewelry is characterized by gemstone jewelry and diamonds or pearls in intricate gold settings. The pieces may include mine cut, rose cut or table cut stones, often foil backed. The jewelry is often quite delicate with a lot of floral motifs. Mourning jewelry is an entirely different category of Victorian collectable.
The Edwardian era was a time of luxury and decadence, the jewelry is light and airy, often set in platinum, the preferred gemstones being sapphires and diamonds. Concurrent Art Nouveau pieces sported new enameling techniques and the use of unusual stones such as moonstone and opal. Look for pieces by Lalique, or Tiffany in this style.
Art Deco jewelers preferred diamonds, but used a wide variety of colored stones in their modernistic pieces. Art Deco emphasized geometric design, abstract pattern and foreign motifs, leaving behind the sensuous curves and soft colors of the nineteenth century. Designers embraced modern architectural designs, with geometric gemstone cuts and bold color combinations. Diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires were the gems of choice, embellishing the long necklaces and dangling earrings of the time.
When shopping for individual pieces avoid trendiness. These old jewels will have a long life if you choose classic designs and quality gems. The price of jewelry is usually determined by the type, cut, and size of the gem used in making it. Precious gemstones include diamond, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, and emerald while semi-precious ones include all other kinds of gems such as opal, topaz, garnet, and turquoise.
Although today, bright white diamonds are considered the industry standard, our grandparents and great-grandparents sought out stones with tints of yellow or pink. Off white pearls were also prized, and precious and semi-precious stones were often mixed in a single piece. Antique and estate jewelry can also characterized gemstone cuts that are not seen today, such as the mine cut diamonds which have a flat spot on the bottom of the stone.
Pieces from a top firm will have been cleaned, repaired if necessary, and inspected and graded. You should receive a certificate describing your new purchase, along with supporting documentation for your insurance company.
Above all, wear your jewelry. Enjoy it. A set of Victorian earrings will brighten a day in the office. That little black dress only needs a Lalique bangle to make you the star at dinner. Life in Manhattan's Luxury Condo District is never boring. There is always an event or gallery to explore.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Daniel Keene is published around the web for Real Estate and theNew York Luxury Lifestyle. Her articles can be found on several sites including: www.515e72.com

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