Shell More Furniture and Collectibles

Vintage 1950s cameo "Knight" cuff links, full marked "14K" featuring a 14-karat post with a hand carved portrait of a knight fixed to a back clasp...

A fine 19th century antique letter opener, Palais Royal, France, complete in mother of pearl Length 28cm Good condition with aged patina

Lovely vintage seashell, Lucite and mirror obelisk.

Victorian era bracelet with shell cameo. The bracelet is made with a band of woven 12K gold wire. The edges are reinforced with a continuous herringbone p...

These stunning and unique Miniature Georgian shoes were produced in England during the early 19th century, circa 1830. They are hand carved from Mahogany wood and feature the most wo...

This exceptional antique cameo, likely from England and dating to around 1850, is carved from a single-colored shell—a rarer choice compared to the more common layered varieties. It ...

Vivid iridescent abalone set in sterling silver. Abstract Aztec emperor design by well known avant-garde artist Miguel Garcia Martinez. Martinez was an appretince to William Spratlin...

Cameo (brooch with security handle) with gold frame. The central piece, made in shell (Cassius Cypraea), white on flesh tone, presents a female bust (on view from the side). This you...

Cameo with frame stamped openwork gold (9-karat) decorated with a symmetrical composition based on opposing "ces", simplified volutes and aveneradas forms in the equator of the piece...

Add a touch of elegance and prehistoric charm to your bookshelf with this pair of bookends made of black slate and authentic fossil ammonites. A unique work that combines modern aes...

Small Art Deco period eggshell and black lacquer vase. Abstract modern exterior with eggshell ground, black lacquer circle and arc, interior and bas...

Curious wriggling fish made of mother-of-pearl Fish made of mother of pearl veneer. Very fine and quality work. Fish assembled with moving elements.

A Beautiful Pair of Carved Wood, Mother of Pearl and Silver Atzei Chaim, made in Poland in 1901. This Lovely Pair of Atzei Chaim is one of the relics with which Torah Scrolls were a...

A Decorative Wood, Silver, and Mother of Pearl Torah Pointer made in Brooklyn New York, in 1990. Judaic Torah pointers are most commonly found to be made with silver or some sort of...

A Stunning Pair of Carved Olivewood, Bone, and Mother of Pearl Atzei Chaim made in Jerusalem in 1913. Atzei Chaim are made of beautifully hand-carved olivewood and inlaid mother of ...

Early 20th century Bezalel Jerusalem wooden tray inlaid with Jerusalem stone and mother of pearl. The large tray is carved with the Seven Species on its...

An Unusual 19th Century Painted Hat and Coat Stand with turned uprights and trestle bases, with seven pegs. English c.1850 Additional information: Dimension: Height: 192 cm, 75 5/8″...

Seamlessly mixing influences from around the world, Werner works with oft-overlooked materials--including her signature black iron--to create bold pieces of striking beauty. "I am am...

18 carat golden paper knife with paperclips. Enamel de limoges, pearls and sapphire, circa 1900. French.

Beautiful hand-carved cameo with a left-facing profile of a young woman, set in a gold wire bezel and roped decorative framework.

Boodles 18ct gold diamond & mother of pearl cross on chain Period Late 20th c. Composition 18ct white gold cross set with mother of pearl and diamonds Dimensions (cross) 3...

Mellerio Paris, A French Gold, Diamonds, Silver-Gilt, Rock-Crystal, Jade, Mother-Of-Pearl and Smoky Quartz, Carved Horse Sculpture, Jeweled Mounted Object. An extremely rare and unique, one of a kind French gold, diamonds, Silver-gilt, rock-crystal, jade, obsidian, mother-of-pearl, and smoky quartz carved jeweled sculpture "CHEVAUX DE LEGENDE", "A Legendary Horse" by Mellerio, Paris, circa 1991. Sitting on black obsidian base, the solid rock-crystal slab is finely applied with a carved smoky -quartz and jade horse with a harness mounted in 18k gold, brilliant -cut diamonds, rubies, turquoise, and amethyst chains and pendants. The top columns adorned with 18k gold and brilliant cut diamond pendants, the bottom with gold and mother of pearl plaques. The obsidian base with a plaque engraved: CHEVAUX DE LEGENDE" / N° 05 / MELLERIO DITS MELLER / PARIS / 5003 D The piece is in excellent condition and comes with a custom made wood case made for transport. It's very elegant and has French hallmarks throughout. A truly magnificent piece. Measures 10.5" high x 8.5" wide x 4" deep Founded in France in 1613 by the descendants of Italian immigrants from the Vigezzo Valley in the north of Italy, Mellerio is one of the oldest jewellery houses in Europe. The family business soon attracted the attention of the Royal Court and Marie Antoinette herself reportedly purchased a precious bracelet featuring 7 cameos surrounded by rubies in 1780. Later on, in the 19th century, Mellerio became the official supplier of the French Royal family and the Court of Netherland. Mellerio creates many jewellery items, all set with rare gems such as peridots, amethysts, aquamarines, citrines and topaz, applying for a patent, the flexible stem, a very supple and light jewellery mechanism. Mellerio remains also well known for their spectacular series of Art Nouveau jewels, created at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as for the creation of trophies rewarding some of the greatest footfall and tennis players of history. In 1993, the jewellery house launched their first watch collection. Today, Mellerio has stores in Paris, Japan and Hong Kong. July 14, 1789: this date is known throughout the world as the beginning of the French Revolution. According to a ledger belonging to House of Mellerio, this was also the day that the jeweler sold a golden key to the Comte de Coutance for 10 livres. This ledger, as well as inventories dating as far back as 1768, are the jeweler’s oldest archives. These archives have continued to grow over the years, as the House, established on rue de la Paix in Paris, still lives on today, still in the hands of the same family from Craveggia, in the North of Italy. The tumultuous history of the Mellerio family in France probably goes as far back as the Italian wars of the Renaissance, but the first official document proving their commercial activity in Paris dates back to 1613. This document is the famous royal warrant awarded by Marie de Medici to a number of Italian families established along the rue des Lombards, including the Mellerios, allowing them to sell “small jewelery items”, therefore granting them a small exception to the traditional monopoly enjoyed by Parisian jewelers. At that time, powerful corporations regulated the operations and customs of Parisian business, but thanks to this exceptional warrant, the Mellerios managed to escape the confines of this framework. Today, this wax-sealed document is kept at the city hall of Craveggia. From 1613 to the Revolution, the Mellerios lived between France and Italy. The corporations tried many times to put an end to their trade privileges, but all in vain, as a dynasty of sovereigns renewed the warrant. Always marrying and often retiring in Craveggia, the Mellerios continued to maintain their jewelry business in Paris. At first, they did this without a shop. Wearing backpacks (wooden boxes divided into small compartments where jewels were kept), they would tour town fairs around Paris and royal castles. This is how Jean-Baptiste Mellerio (1765-1850) is said to have sold a bracelet set with rubies and Antique cameos to Marie-Antoinette, which still exists today. Many elements seem to prove the veracity of this anecdote. The queen was particularly fond of cameos, which cover the entire background of her famous jewelry cabinet, and ruby was her favorite stone after diamond. The famous bracelet, reacquired a few years ago by the House of Mellerio, is indeed an 18th century jewel, set with antique cameos representing the profiles of Roman emperors. Two branches of the family were operating in Paris during this time, under the reign of Louis XVI: that of Jean-François (1746-1828), the paternal ancestor of the current Mellerios, and that of Jean-Baptiste (1765-1850). The French Revolution forced them to return to Italy. However, both Jean-Baptiste and François Mellerio (1772-1843), who was the son of Jean-François, were eventually able to return to Paris after the founding of the Consulate. Jean-Baptiste opened a shop at the Iron Crown of rue Vivienne, and François opened his at the Palais des Tuileries, rue du Coq Saint-Honoré. His well-organized order books give an idea of his high-ranking clientele during the “Old Regime”, among which were the Comte and Comtesse Octave de Segur, the Marquise (later Duchess) de Tourzel, former governess of the royal children, and her daughter, the Comtesse de Bearn, the Craufurds -who organized the flight to Varennes, the Duc and Duchess de Gramont, the Comtesse de Boigne, and Madame de Souza, Talleyrand’s mistress. We also see the names of the imperial family: Empress Josephine, the Queen of Holland, Princess Elisa, Caroline and Pauline. At that time, the House of Mellerio specialized, among other things, in the trade of antique cameos, a newly fashionable genre of jewel that captured the imagination of all the princesses and noble women of the time. The years of the Restauration and July Monarchy were among the most glorious. The Bourbons were back on the throne, and the clientele of the House of Mellerio had regained its former wealth. Mellerio supplied Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, as well as his mother, wife and sister, with sumptuous jewels, including a set of emeralds made piece by piece, while the Duke of Bourbon, last prince of the House of Condé, offered diamonds to his mistress, the scheming Baronne de Feucheres, and Monsieur de LaFayette also bought cameos for one of his granddaughters. For the first time, Mellerio ventured into the world of arts in 1815, when Carlotta Grisi, a famous dancer who created Giselle, as well as an actress named Rachel, bought jewels at the Mellerio store on rue de la Paix. 1848 marked a new turning point. France once again became a Republic. François Mellerio handed the company over to his son, Jean, and the latter decided to travel to Spain to build a new clientele. He later became one of the jewelers of the royal family, and met Eugénie de Montijo, who remained a faithful client when she became empress of the French people. The Imperial years were lavish. During the Second Empire, Paris was a pageant of crinoline dresses designed by Worth, while jewels by Mellerio, Worth’s neighbour on the rue de la Paix, adorned the noble women of the Tuileries court. The Empress bought pearls. Mathilde Bonaparte...