18th Century and Earlier Collectibles and Curiosities

Indian blue peacock taxidermy mount with a beautiful iridescent blue and green coloration. It is mounted on an oval wooden base and can be displaye...

This is museum-quality, fully assembled replica of H.M.S. Sovereign of the Seas, a first-rate ship in the British Royal Navy for more than 50 years in the 1600s. Master craftsmen using historical photographs, drawings or original plans meticulously handcraft these highly detailed wood models from scratch. They are built to scale with high-grade wood such as: western red cedar, and mahogany. They are 100% hand built individually using plank-on-frame construction method and are similar to the building of actual ships. Each model requires hundreds of hours to finish and must go through a demanding quality control process before leaving the workshop. This magnificent Sovereign of the Seas model...

Mughal ladies Tom Pouce lighter designed by Cartier. Fabulous and extremely rare ladies cylindrical gasoline lighter. Created in Paris during the art deco period by the house of Cartier, back in the middle of the 1920's. This miniature Tom Pouce lighter, takes its name from the classic short fairy tales by the Grimm's brothers, Tom Thumb (Tom Pouce being the French translation). It was crafted with Champlevé colored enamels over rustic bronze and accented with details in yellow gold of 18 karats. Embellished with natural lapis lazuli and an emerald. The main outside body is decorated with organics elements and figures of red and blue birds. Gorgeous look and surely a great conversation piece which is accompanied by the round Cartier red box. Champlevé, in the decorative arts, is an enameling technique or an object made by the champlevé process, which consists of cutting away troughs or cells in a metal plate and filling the depressions with pulverized vitreous enamel. The raised metal lines between the cutout areas form the design outline. Emerald: Accented on top in a bezel setting, with 1 square faceted cut of a natural green emerald of about 0.15 carats. Lapis: Mount with 1 flat round cabochon cut, carved from lapis lazuli of about 1.25 carats. Birthstone: Emerald for the month of May. Weight: 21.95 Grams, (14.07 Dwt). Measurements: Have a diameter of 16 mm and a height of 33 mm (0.63 x 1.30 Inches). Hallmarks Stamped with the maker's mark, the serial numbers, the French taxation mark for luxury items BL inside a rectangular cartouche and signed, "CARTIER 5554", stamped with matching cases numbers, 13 & 13. Ministere Des Finances Lighter Tax 1911-1945 Note: On 10th December 1910 the French state adopted a new tax regulations on all devices indented to produce spark or fire by friction, or by any other means, and of the combustion of a flammable substance. Since 1st January 1911 every lighter in France that was intended for sale in the French market had to be taxed and adequately marked. To confirm that the excise duty was paid to the Ministry of Finance a special duty metal plate (stamp) was attached (usually welded) to the lighter by the lighter manufacturers. The fees charged by the French state were high but the tax rates levied by the state were varying depending on the type and finish of the lighter. Following tax rates were used: 2 French francs for common pocket lighters, 5 Fr for pocket lighters made of silver, 20 Fr for luxury pocket lighters (e.g. made of gold), 5 Fr for common table/desk lighters (over 10 cm), 10 Fr for table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of silver, 50 Fr for luxury table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of gold or platinum. Between 1911 and 1916 a simple copper plate was used which had the date 1911 engraved. Later, between 1916 and 1945 a new plate (undated) was introduced with the letters "C" and "I" (stands for indirect taxes) and a profile of Mercury (patron god of financial gain, commerce and messengers) with an inscription "Ministère Des Finances" (eng. Ministry of Finance). Two shapes were used for the plate – oval for table lighters, the other one for pocket lighters. Additional to the two duty plates a marking "BL" (Briquet de Luxe, eng. luxury lighter) was introduced in 1926. It was a small hallmark which was considered as more discreet and applied only on luxury lighters like Quercia or Lancel. It is worth to mention that France was not the sole country where lighters were taxed and marked with special plates...

A green malachite and marble chess board, circa mid-20th. Game board is made of green malachite and off-white marble. Dimensions: 9" square.

An elegant gemstone lapis and marble chess set, demonstrating traditional craftsmanship and wonderful artistry. The chessboard of solid marble base, showcases a classic design with h...

A Very Fine & rare example of a Lapis Lazuli Ball Grip Handle removed from an early Walking Cane with a wide Sterling Silver collar, with part of the original, which is in Partridge ...

Signal cannon with a polished steel barrel and elevating screw mounted on a wooden carriage with steel rims to the wheels. Barrel length 6 inches Dimens...

A truly beautiful Art Deco green malachite glass perfume bottle with a female embossed figure to the stopper. Made in Czechoslovakia, th...

A beautiful hand carved horse bust in grade AAA natural lapis lazuli. The horse with robust neck and windswept mane, mouth slightly open and large alert eyes. Lapis of beautiful coba...

Set of two splendid malachite eggs. Hand crafted and polished, displaying fantastic various natural patterns of swirls and stripes. A stone of transforma...

This silver gem pendant ring is adorned with a mesmerizing Malachite gem at its heart. Surrounding the central beauty are smaller Turquoise and Jasper gems,...

A very smart antique English table vesta beautifully executed from white onyx inlaid with Lapis Lazuli. The fittings are made from silver-gilt (gold on sterling silver) by the top...