Arthur King Pearl Diamond Yellow Gold Earrings
View Similar Items
Arthur King Pearl Diamond Yellow Gold Earrings
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Weight:25.3 g
- Dimensions:Height: 1.88 in (47.76 mm)Width: 0.63 in (16.01 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: UTOO 6-181stDibs: LU694504711
Arthur King
Self-taught American jeweler Arthur King worked with baroque pearls, geodes, and raw semi-precious gemstones to create distinctive modernist jewelry during the mid-20th century.
Like many of the accessories that populate our jewelry boxes, the forms of King’s provocative vintage brooches, necklaces, rings and other jewels were inspired by the natural world, but the pieces’ metalwork is sculptural and shapely, resembling gnarled tree branches or the surface of an elm’s aging trunk.
King was born in New Jersey in 1921. He became interested in art at a young age and was fascinated with the lost-wax casting technique practiced by some sculptors. King taught himself the process using scrap metals, and his jewelry and objets d’art would come to share common ground with abstract art in the years to come.
While stationed overseas in the Merchant Marines in World War II, King began to work with metal and dabble in jewelry making, integrating sharks’ teeth, white scrap metal and whatever else he could find into his modest “art jewelry,” a term that has been used to describe adornments created by Alexander Calder, pioneering African American studio jeweler Art Smith, Andrew Grima and others over the years. Upon returning from the war, King continued to develop his skills — eventually opening his first shop in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood.
King truly distinguished himself from other jewelers of the time — at his workbench, he shaped the brass and silver settings for his often unpolished, chunky stones that featured asymmetrical cuts and employed the age-old technique of lost-wax casting, which sees objects cast from wax models. His early pieces mainly featured silver settings, but his popularity soared once he began to craft jewelry in gold.
In 1961, King's work was exhibited at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London as part of the “International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery” and a year later, he opened his flagship store on Madison Avenue. His success allowed him to open more locations in London, Cape Cod, Havana, Miami and elsewhere.
King used a dizzying array of gems and other materials in his unconventional pieces. And as much as the jewelry of the 1960s featured eye-catching candy-colored stones, it was also an era of new textures and freeform gold settings, and King was at the forefront, creating audacious designs that contrasted sharply with the work of the world’s leading luxury houses.
King’s work has been celebrated at a range of institutions over the years including the Museum of Contemporary Crafts (now the Museum of Arts and Design), the Cultured Pearl Association of Japan, the Victoria and Albert Museum and more. His jewelry was exhibited at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s,” which opened in 2021.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Arthur King brooches, rings, necklaces and more.
- Mikimoto Pearl Diamond Yellow Gold EarringsBy MikimotoLocated in Beverly Hills, CAClassy elegant earrings created by Mikimoto in the 1980s. Two finest 15-mm rose pearls shining with sparkling diamonds make you feel simply irresistible! Feminine and wearable, the e...Category
Vintage 1980s Stud Earrings
MaterialsWhite Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Bulgari Vintage Mother of Pearl Diamond EarringsBy BulgariLocated in Beverly Hills, CAA beautiful vintage (1970s) pair of clip-on Bulgari earrings. Made of 18k yellow gold, features brown mother of pearl and diamond. Stamped with Bulgari maker's mark, a hallmark for 1...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$5,800 / set - Vintage Chopard 18k Yellow Gold Earrings with Diamond SapphireBy ChopardLocated in Beverly Hills, CAElegant clip-on earrings made of 18 karat (stamped) yellow gold encrusted with round brilliant cut diamonds (F-G color, VS clarity, approximately 1.50 carats total weight) and featur...Category
Vintage 1980s Swiss Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage A. Clunn Lapis Lazuli 18k Yellow Gold Earrings Enamel DiamondBy Andrew ClunnLocated in Beverly Hills, CAColorful and prominent clip-on earrings created by Andrew Clunn in the 1980's. They feature carved lapis lazuli framed in white enamel and accentuated with diamonds on the sides. Bea...Category
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Natural Saltwater Pearl Diamond Platinum Clip-On EarringsLocated in Beverly Hills, CAElegant and classy earrings featuring two natural saltwater pearls set in platinum encrusted with diamonds. The pearls are accompanied with a Gem Testing Report from French Gemolo...Category
Vintage 1960s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsNatural Pearl, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Platinum, White Gold
- Henry Dunay Yellow Gold Shell Clip-On EarringsBy Henry DunayLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn amazing pair of clip-on earrings by Henry Dunay. Made of textured 18k yellow gold. Stamped with Dunay maker's mark and a hallmark for 18k gold. Measurements: 1 1/8" H x 1" W. The...Category
Early 2000s Clip-on Earrings
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$5,600 / set
- Yellow Gold Pearl Diamond EarringLocated in New York, NYYellow Gold Pearl Diamond earringCategory
1990s Unknown Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl
- Pearl and Diamond Earrings in Yellow GoldLocated in Coral Gables, FL18 Karat Yellow Gold Earrings Featuring 4 Cultured Pearls Measuring 7mm and 20 Channel Set Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds of VS Clarity and G Color Totaling 0.25 Carats. Pierced Post w...Category
Late 20th Century Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- A Pair of Yellow Gold, Pearl and Diamond EarringsLocated in New York, NYA pair of 14 karat yellow gold, pearl and diamond earclips. Each earclip designed as a central mabe pearl measuring approximately 13.4 mm surrounded by a spiral of approximately thi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Mabe Pearl Yellow Gold EarringsLocated in New York, NYFoliate 18kt Yellow Gold Earrings - bezel set with fine lustrous Mabe Pearl Earrings. Fitted with Omega backs & posts.Category
Vintage 1960s American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsCultured Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Golden Keshi Pearl 18K Yellow Gold Diamond Cluster EarringsBy Valentin MagroLocated in New York, NYWarm luster of gold keshi pearls combine with the brilliance of diamonds for these earrings. Five baroque gold keshi pearls are arranged in a circular pat...Category
2010s American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Natural Pearl, South Se...
$15,960 Sale Price / set20% OffFree Shipping - 18K Yellow Gold Keshi Pearl and Diamond Cluster EarringsBy Valentin MagroLocated in New York, NYBotanical motifs are visualized by pearls and diamonds. Five South Sea keshi pearls, prized for their unique creation and nacre bodies, are arranged in a circle. The 18k yellow gold ...Category
2010s American Romantic Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsNatural Pearl, White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Pearl, Diamond, Gold, Yel...