Natural Fei Cui
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
2010s Italian Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, Jade, Ruby, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Band Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Engagement Rings
14k Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Retro Pendant Necklaces
Jade, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Retro Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Emerald, Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Art Nouveau Stud Earrings
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s East Asian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Dome Rings
Jade, Diamond, White Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Engagement Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Jade, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Jade, Diamond, Yellow Gold, Gold
Vintage 1960s Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Band Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Jade, Rose Gold
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Chinese Artist Solitaire Rings
Jade, 24k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
20th Century Hong Kong Contemporary Bangles
Jade
2010s East Asian Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Jade, 18k Gold
20th Century More Rings
Diamond, Jade, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
2010s East Asian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Jade, Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s East Asian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Jade, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s East Asian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Jade, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Contemporary Bangles
Jade
2010s East Asian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s East Asian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1910s Engagement Rings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s East Asian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Jade, White Gold
2010s East Asian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Jade, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Jade, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Artisan Drop Earrings
Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Stud Earrings
Jade, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Cufflinks
18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Black Jade, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Jade, Diamond, 18k Gold
Natural Fei Cui For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Natural Fei Cui?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany & Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef & Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
Read More
11 of Annie Leibovitz’s Most Talked-About Photographs
See why the famed photographer's celebrity portraits have graced magazine covers and become headline grabbers in their own right for five decades and counting.
Tom Price Sculpted One of These Benches from Resin, the Other from Coal
Part art, part seating, they offer a fascinating meditation on life’s dualities.
The Stories behind the Most Famous Luxury Fashion Logos
From Chanel to YSL, the logos of some legacy fashion houses spark instant brand recognition and have come to symbolize a kind of luxury that feels at once aspirational and attainable.
Brooklyn’s Ground Floor Gallery Spotlights a Diverse Range of Emerging Artists
Cofounders Krista Scenna and Jill Benson highlight the work of underexposed talents and connect them with new collectors.
The Layered Story behind the Iconic Jewels of London’s Stephen Webster
On the 25th anniversary of his innovative Crystal Haze collection, the designer revisits its origins.
The Story behind James Banks’s Jewels Is As Dreamy As the Designs
Brought together by a love of jewelry with meaning, Adam Shulman and Heidi Nahser Fink built a brand that celebrates ingenious design and fine craftsmanship.
Photographer to Know: David Bailey
British portraitist David Bailey gets up close to his celebrity subjects.
High-Society Hijinks Fill the Imagination of Illustrator Tug Rice
The Pennsylvania-born, New York–based artist's whimsical creations affectionately satirize the foibles of his fellow Upper East Siders.