Recent Additions - Cufflinks, Brooches and Stickpins

Recent additions to the Antique Cufflink Gallery include diamonds with serpentine scrolls, elegant jades from Carrington, mesmerizing "Op Art", jazzy Art Deco sapphire cufflinks and a beautiful gold dress set with moonstones.

Diamonds and Scrolls  A serpentine tangle of scrolls surrounds a bright diamond.  The beautifully worked scrolls and undulating gold surfaces reflect light in an elegant golden aura.  Created in 14kt gold,  circa 1890.    Cost:  $925

Carrington Jade II  Beautiful spinach green jade cabochons set in bright yellow gold.  The verdant lustre of the jade and high polish of the gold create an alluring warm glow.  Created in 14kt gold,  circa 1900.    Cost:  $885

Op Art  Finely engraved concentric circles create the illusion of either a tall mountain of stacked circular terraces or a tunnel infinitely regressing into the distance.  Created by William Huger & Co. in 14kt gold,  circa 1930.    Cost:  $645

Art Deco Sapphire  Elegant Art Deco cufflinks with richly engraved centers and borders.  A wonderful example of the beautifully designed, intricately detailed cufflinks of the early Art Deco period.    Cost:  $725

Moonstones and Gold  The silvery blue shimmer of moonstones complemented by the warm radiance of yellow gold.  This elegant dress set captures the bold simplicity of Mid Century design.    Cost:  $1,375

Recent additions to the Antique Brooch Gallery feature a diminutive Art Nouveau pin, a sapphire and pearl bar pin and a wonderful flower brooch by Whiteside & Blank.

Art Nouveau A wonderful diminutive Art Nouveau brooch of a strong, clear-eyed woman framed by her flowing, untamed tresses.  A dark pearl is set at the end of her golden headband.  Crafted in 10kt gold, circa 1900.    Cost:  $425

The Aviatrix  Luminous white pearls and a bright blue sapphire. The overall design of this small brooch is reminiscent of the wooden propellers of early airplanes.    Crafted in 14kt gold, circa 1920.
Cost:  $325

Fleur Nouveau An Art Nouveau golden flower set with small white pearls.  This brooch wonderfully captures the sense of a fragrant flower swaying in a gentle breeze.  Created by Whiteside & Blank in 14kt gold, circa 1900.    Cost:  $385

New to the Antique Stickpin Gallery is a striking golden scarab created by Carter, Howe.

Carter Scarab  A golden scarab with soaring wings.  Among the Victorians scarabs were viewed as a symbol of rebirth and regeneration and often attributed amuletic powers.   This finely crafted example was created by Carter, Howe & Co. in 14kt gold, circa 1900.    Cost:  $465

These and other fine jewels from the past can be found in
the Antique and Estate Jewelry Galleries

Krementz Double Cufflinks

Krementz double cufflinks with roaring lions, circa 1900.

Krementz Doubles

An updated version of this article can be found in the 1/31/14 post.

What the Bachs were to music and the Bernoullis to mathematics, the Krementz family has been to jewelry manufacturing in the United States. When George Krementz founded Krementz & Company in 1866 he began a jewelry dynasty that has touched three centuries. The original firm, its successors and offshoots have been an innovative force in everything from fine to costume jewelry, colored gemstones to rich enamels, cufflinks to stickpins.

Roaring lion cufflinks, circa 1900.

Among the more captivating creations from the firm's long history is a series of "double" cufflinks dating to the years around 1900. Cufflinks with a decorated front, a curved bridge and a small oval back, also known as a "bean back", were common during the late Victorian period and early 1900s. The backs were often left plan or merely engraved with the owner's initials. Krementz added a little pizazz to the bean backs.

Reverse of roaring lion cufflinks.

Around 1900, Krementz began recreating the striking image decorating the fronts of the cufflinks on the smaller bean backs. The fierce lion cufflinks pictured above are a wonderful example. From the front a roaring lion stares menacingly. His snarling visage and fierce eyes are framed with a flowing, golden mane. On the back an equally dramatic lion roars, this time in profile. The images of the lions are beautifully sculpted and richly detailed.

Mermaid and Swan cufflinks, circa 1900.

Krementz & Company was one of the first jewelry firms to bring Art Nouveau design to America. Among the firm's work in the emerging style were beautiful flower and foliage brooches colored with shimmering pastel enamels. An example is pictured at the end of this post.

Krementz also created cufflinks in the Art Nouveau taste. The above pair features a mermaid with flowing hair, a passing swan and swaying cattails. The mermaid's sceptre is set with a small rose-cut diamond for a magical touch of sparkle. The cufflinks reflect the Art Nouveau fascination with nature and fantasy.

Reverse of mermaid cufflinks.

On the backs of the cufflinks the mermaid-and-swan scene is faithfully recreated in miniature. The only exception is that the sceptre is now diamond free.

Art Nouveau priestess cufflinks, circa 1900.

In addition to nature and fantasy, Art Nouveau jewelry designers drew upon ancient and distant cultures to capture a sense of the exotic. This pair of cufflinks features a princess or priestess adorned with an elaborate headdress. The design, possibly inspired by the ancient Egyptian or Mayan civilizations, was largely shaped by the artist's imagination. Classic flowing Art Nouveau curves are evident in the "ribbons" beneath the woman's chin.

Front and reverse of Art Nouveau cufflinks.

Once again, the striking image of the exotic princess is repeated on the reverse of the cufflinks.

Victorian serpent cufflinks, circa 1890.

A little earlier than the prior two Art Nouveau pairs, this pair of Krementz cufflinks nicely illustrates the late Victorian love affair with writhing serpents and critter-related jewelry. In this case rattlesnakes are the critters of choice.

For the Victorians jewelry often carried symbolic meanings. Intertwined or coiled snakes were a symbol of good fortune and eternity. The vine entwining the snakes appears to be a clematis vine, a Victorian symbol for ingenuity.

Front and reverse of serpent and vine cufflinks, circa 1890.

Hints of Art Nouveau design can be seen in the sinuous curves of the snakes and vines. The manner in which the scaly, reptilian bodies of the snakes form the borders of the cufflinks also suggest an Art Nouveau influence.

Additional details of these and other fine antique cufflinks,
can be found in the Antique Cufflink Gallery.

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Krementz Art Nouveau brooch, circa 1900.

I mentioned earlier that one of the contributions of Krementz & Company to American Art Nouveau design were small flower-inspired brooches colored with shimmering enamels. The above jewel is a wonderful example set pearls, an amethyst and a small sparkling dianond.

The Krementz Art Nouveau brooch can be found
in the Antique and Estate Jewelry Gallery.