Enthusiasts
Affordable Finds in Bonhams California Jewels Sale
Jewels du JourThe spring auction season is officially under way and Bonhams will ease into the year with its California Jewels sale this Monday, March 21st. The 400-plus lot sale comprises an accessible spread of jewelry spanning more than a century of design, with the majority of estimates under $5,000. The variety of affordable jewels in the sale, whose highest estimated lot tops out at $18,000, encompasses a sampling from nearly every important period as well as collectible designs from the leading fine jewelry houses (most with estimates of $1,500 to 3,000). Bulgari? Check. Buccellati? Check. Cartier? Check. Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb? Check, check and check! What’s more, the sale features unique pieces from independent designers from the 1960s to contemporary, such as Kurt Wayne, Kutchinsky, Elizabeth Gage, Stephen Webster and Denise Robergé. My favorite jewel in the sale is, without a doubt, a sculpted gold squirrel ring by Kurt Wayne, circa 1969 (est. $1,200 – 1,800). The realistically composed critter, with its three-dimensional design, is even cuter in person, sitting curiously atop the finger when worn. In close second is another animal jewel, this one a necklace with a pendant designed as a succession […]
