The Blue Paisley Fox Choker Necklaces

Tantalum is the rarest metal on earth -not counting lab-created metals that exist for fractions of a minute, metals that are liquid at room temperature, or radioactive. Tantalum's bl...

This is rare Gump's nephrite jade necklace from the Midcentury (circa 1960s) in an exceptionally translucent light chartreuse green. Indeed, the hand-carved and polished beads are so highly translucent they look to be made of glass. In fact, "Glassy" jade is a term usually reserved to describe only the finest jadeite jade -nephrite jade's rarer and more expensive cousin- and the word is only rarely applicable to the nephrite variety of jade, due to its different mineral structure. The 16 ¾" necklace is composed of 40 9.30mm untreated nephrite beads that are most likely from Siberia. These beads are a fine, evenly-toned chartreuse green, and they display the high translucency of the only finest jadeite. Most Gump's jade necklaces were available in 18" and 24" lengths. This 16" necklace is far less common, and the large size of the beads in combination with the brief length speaks to the scarcity of the beads themselves, their genuine preciousness. The 14K yellow gold clasp is marked "Hong Kong" and "Gump's." All original Gump's jade jewelry...

Attention Father of the Bride: This Art Deco 18K white gold and diamond tiara is an exceptionally rare and gorgeous jewel. Created entirely by hand in the 1930s, this semi-flexible ...

Free your inner maximalist with this extraordinary one-of-a-kind suit of jewels created by Mario Buccellati's own hands. Complete parures created by the iconic Italian master goldsm...

This 22" natural and undyed coral bead necklace features 101 tomato-red coral beads strung on silk and individually hand-knotted between each bead. The beads graduate in size from f...

Dating to approximately 1940, this luxurious strand of luminous, gleaming nearly-antique cultured pearls is so fine in quality it rivals -and in some ways surpasses- that of natural,...

Thirty-one luminous and golden baroque South Sea pearls compose a new and unworn 17" necklace of supreme beauty and luxury. The gleaming, sumptuous pearls range in size from approx...

This triple-strand cultured Akoya pearl necklace hails from the glamorous early 1970s. Think: Lauren Hutton, Halston, Studio 54. The necklace is entirely original and in pristine c...

This bold solid sterling silver and 18K yellow gold double-twist choker necklace was created by hand in Italy circa 1990s. Composed of two 5.5mm thick 16" lengths of twisted sterlin...

This Art Deco 18K white gold and diamond tiara is an exceptionally rare and gorgeous jewel. Created entirely by hand in the 1930s, this semi-flexible 15" tiara is composed of thirty 9mm long by 3.15 rectangular segments of 18k white gold, each of which is channel-set with four tiny brilliant round diamonds. Each rectangular segment is joined to the other by a bezel-set round brilliant. Beginning three-quarters of the way forward on the tiara are nine upside-down "U" shaped mountings, each of which is set with two round brilliant diamonds on the interior and then three additional diamonds atop the rounded portion of the "U." The diamonds are close-backed, so a perfectly accurate weight cannot be obtained, but using a geological mathematical formula, I estimate the total diamond weight on the frame of the tiara to be approximately 3.8 carats. Not counting the freely-dangling diamond briolettes. There are nine, and they are magnificent, fire-filled, and faceted tears of joy. Each measures approximately 5.45mm x 3.44mm x 2.89mm which, again, by formula, suggests a diamond weight of between .51 -.57 carats. So we will go with the lower number, as we always do here, and this gives us a diamond weight for the briolettes alone of 4.59 carats. Altogether, this simultaneously subtle and spectacular tiara has a total -approximate- diamond carat weight of 8.39 carats. The tiara has a length of approximately 12". This is a tiara that can be worn in several ways. It can "surround" the base of a bun atop the head, or could be similarly positioned lower toward the nape to adorn a chignon, or it could be pinned to the very top of the head where it could secure a wedding veil into position. So this is not a tiara like the Princess of Wales's favorite tiara, The Lover's Knot; but then is a tiara of that scale ever appropriate for one who is not a duchess, a princess of a reigning monarch? This is an absolutely perfect wedding tiara...

This luxurious and rare black jadeite jade necklace is composed of 37 certified untreated black jade beads that graduate in size from 8mm to 11mm. The...

The luminous untreated jadeite jade beads that compose this 20" necklace are so faintly light green, that they appear white. Well, but not white; not really, because they are far too fascinating to be merely white like a piece of paper or a sheet. It is as if an apparition has assumed bead form and settled around the neck. These gorgeous, succulent beads seem filled with a reserve of light they have gathered during the day in order to release back into the night like a whisper. If you like pearls but wish for something denser, more grounded in the material world, these may be for you. They do look like pearls from a distance, a pristine strand of vintage cultured Akoya pearls. But then, up close, what are they? White sapphires? What could they be? Most people, of course, have no idea jade is anything other than green. The individual beads measure approximately 8.5mm for a clean, unified presentation around the neck. I am a second-generation collector of jade and have loved Gump's jade jewelry all my life. Gump's was an iconic San Francisco department store that was founded in the 19th century and awed the world with their remarkable and unique pieces until 2005 when they were sold. Gump's never used any dyed or treated jade in any of their jewelry, so they remain one of very few brands that you never need to have tested; vintage Gump...

This rare, gorgeous Japanese Art Deco-era 15" chocker necklace is composed of hand-painted blue and white porcelain beads in a floral motif suspended...

Thirty-five luminous and golden South Sea pearls compose an 18" necklace of supreme beauty and luxury. The gleaming, sumptuous pearls graduate i...

This timeless, classic natural and untreated nephrite jade necklace is 18" in length including the 14K yellow gold clasp (marked 585). It features 35 rou...

This unique, dramatic necklace was created from sterling silver early in the twentieth century —near 1920— at the height of the Egyptian Revival period. The necklace features 7 silve...

This 16" strand of vintage cultured Akoya pearls features large and luminous pearls. 8.31mm, 8.24mm, 8.19mm, 8.04mm, 8.29mm, 8.43mm, 8.51mm: these are measurements I took of the pearls at random. In the world of cultured Akoya pearls, 8mm is the delineating mark; 8mm and larger are considered "luxury" pearls because of the time and risk involved in culturing pearls this large. The longer a pearl stays in the water, the thicker the nacre but the greater the chances for malformation. With this strand, we have the ideal: uniform, round pearls with thick nacre, and gorgeous luminosity, but without the pits and surface imperfections, we often see in pearls of this size and vintage. The vast majority of Akoya pearls are 6mm and 7mm. All of these pearls are 8mm and well beyond. If the classic 16" length feels too short for you, it's easy for your jeweler to add a bit of length by having the pearls restrung with double knots and French wire. In this way, you can transform this into a 17" necklace. This necklace, created in the 1950s, features two strands of 75 top-quality cultured Akoya pearls in a near-ivory tone without any evidence of pinking, the dying process the vast majority of cultured Akoya pearls undergo to give them a light pink blush. These pearls lack that artificial tint. The clasp is measures 23mm x 19.47 and was hand-fabricated. The clasp is formed into the shape of a flower with six small, full-cut diamonds prong-set in the center Interestingly, the diamonds are of far better quality than such small stones on a necklace clasp need to be. They are near-colorless (G-I) and clean (VS2). Together they weigh .25 carats. The clasp is unmarked but tests as 14K. This is the ultimate classic double-strand cultured Akoya necklace...

This Art Deco jadeite jade necklace features 29 11mm tender, young green Burmese jadeite beads, each of which was hand-carved and polished without the use of electricity or modern po...

A large, dramatic statement necklace rendered in sterling silver and dating to the Art Deco era. A lavish amount of silver was used in cre...