Fred Leighton Marquise-Cut Flower Diamond Drop Earrings
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Dimensions:Height: 1.5 in (38.1 mm)Width: 1 in (25.4 mm)
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Contemporary
- Condition:Excellent - no signs of wear.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
Fred Leighton
For years, countless style-setters around the world — Hollywood starlets among them — have turned to Madison Avenue mainstay Fred Leighton for its exceptional selection of antique and vintage baubles.
Wrapped around its elegant corner of 66th and Madison Avenue in New York, Leighton is a brilliantly glittering star in the jewelry firmament. Since the boutique moved uptown in 1984, Leighton has become known for bringing antique and 20th-century jewels to a discerning international clientele and, perhaps most famously, for contributing to the red carpet looks of countless starlets (including Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams and Claire Danes, to name but a few). Simply put, over the past few decades, Leighton has helped move antique jewelry out of its dusty, insular ivory tower and into the wider world of fast-moving modern style.
The story of Fred Leighton as we know it began in the 1970s, when Murray Mondschein (now something of a legend in the jewelry industry) took over a Greenwich Village clothing shop called Fred Leighton (after its original owner) and started selling Mexican wedding dresses, hand-crafted accessories and ethnic jewelry. When someone gave him some antique jewelry to sell, he added that to the mix.
A defining moment came in the mid-1990s: “It started with an unexpected call from Miuccia Prada,” relays Greg Kwiat, the jeweler’s CEO. “She had designed a dress for Nicole Kidman to wear to the Oscars, and she had something very specific in mind for the jewelry that should go with it.” Fred Leighton lent a vintage choker of Australian opals (a reference to Kidman’s nationality) that Prada, a client and collector, had seen in the shop. The timing was perfect, as “vintage” in general — clothes, accessories, jewelry, furniture — was being embraced for its charm, individuality and powers of personal expression. “Estate jewelry pushed against the sameness of modern branded culture,” explains Kwiat.
By the mid-2000s Mondschein (who by then had legally changed his name to Fred Leighton) had retired and an unsettled period of interim ownership followed. In 2009, the Kwiats, world-leading diamond traders and jewelers, bought the business, and Greg Kwiat became CEO. Today, the Madison Avenue boutique presents an air of streamlined serenity: taupe carpet warmed by original Art Deco showcases; furniture in rich, glossy Macassar wood; wrought-iron balustrades that recall a luxurious 1930s ocean liner. The jewelry, set out simply but impeccably, covers a 200-year span of styles and eras, from the candlelit romance of Georgian diamond chandelier earrings, through the pomp and grandeur of Victorian jewels, to the modernism of Art Deco masterpieces and seminal 1960s designs by the likes of Van Cleef & Arpels and David Webb.
Leighton’s particular strengths lie in Victorian pieces from the 1800s and Art Deco pieces. She likes the eclecticism and eccentricity of 19th-century jewelry, embodied, for example, by an enameled serpent bangle, with its gem-encrusted head, a favorite motif of Queen Victoria, or a pair of dramatic gold Egyptian-inspired earrings with scarab motifs that tell of the vogue for archaeological revival jewels during the period.
Today, the antique and 20th-century offerings are joined by a contemporary Fred Leighton-branded collection, whose rings, necklaces and other accessories are either inspired by historical precedents or actually incorporate antique elements, such as a pair of earrings composed of vintage diamond wings with appended enamels and fringes that provide an of-the-moment edge.
Find Fred Leighton jewelry on 1stDibs today.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Henry Dunay The Collection Pear Drop EarringsBy Henry DunayLocated in New York, NYOne-of-a-kind signed platinum freeform diamond earrings from The Collection by Henry Dunay. These diamond earrings feature 108 pave set round brilliants weighing 0.97ctw and 10 pear ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- J. Birnbach Rose Cut & Briolette Diamond Drop EarringsBy J. BirnbachLocated in New York, NYThis exquisite pair of drop earrings new from the J. Birnbach workshop won't be around for long... Featuring assorted pavé = 1.88 carat total weight, six, rose-cut pear shape diamonds and a scintillating, matched pair of briolettes = approximately 5 carat total weight, these edgy earrings...Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Drop Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold
- 5.29 Carat Kite Shaped Chandelier Earrings with a Round DiamondBy J. BirnbachLocated in New York, NYThese fashionable handmade platinum earrings are 5.29 carats. They each feature 3 sparkling kite cut diamonds weighing a total of 3.12 carats, 2 round brilliants weighing 1.22 carats...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- J. Birnbach GIA Colorless 16.80 carat Asscher Cut Diamond Platinum Drop EarringsBy J. BirnbachLocated in New York, NYThis spectacular pair of platinum earrings contains 16 GIA certified Asscher cut diamonds ranging in quality from D-F color and IF-VVS clarity. Each earring has a four diamond drop...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- GIA-Certified Fancy Yellow 10.83 Carat Asscher-Cut Diamond Drop EarringsBy J. BirnbachLocated in New York, NYFrom the J. Birnbach Collection of fancy yellow diamonds, these sophisticated drop earrings showcase 5.11 carat and 5.02-carat Fancy yellow asscher-cut diamonds that drop from two wh...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold
- 3.25 Carats Diamond Platinum Kite Drop EarringsLocated in New York, NYThese classic kite drop earrings come from J. Birnbach's highly curated workshop. This stunning pair of platinum dangle earrings features six F color, VS clarity, kite cut diamonds w...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Fred Leighton Old Mine Diamond Budding Flower Dart EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in New York, NYA total of approximately 3.46 carats of old mine and old European cut diamonds form the petals of a flower bud suspending three darts mounted in silver topped yellow gold, signed Fre...Category
2010s Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
- Fred Leighton Rose Cut Diamond Pave Modern Girandole Pendant EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in New York, NYModern girandoles are set with mixed shape rose cut diamonds totaling approximately 7.96 carats mounted in silver topped 18 karat yellow gold. The earrings measure 1 inch in length a...Category
2010s Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
- Fred Leighton 5.80 Carat Pear Cut Briolette Diamond Platinum Dangle EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in Stamford, CTOriginal Fred Leighton solid Platinum chandelier style diamond dangle earrings 5.80cts total. E to F, VS1 clarity. Platinum 4 pear shaped rose cut diamonds, 7 x 5mm to 7.5 x 5.5m...Category
Late 20th Century Chandelier Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- Fred Leighton Aquamarine and Diamond Rayed Dart EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in New York, NYA pair of oval aquamarines totaling approximately 5.02 carats are set in diamond rayed oval discs suspending diamond darts to a total of approximately 2.02 carats of old European cut...Category
2010s Dangle Earrings
MaterialsAquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
- Fred Leighton Black Jade and Diamond Coil Doorknocker EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in New York, NYFred Leighton Black Jade and Diamond Coil Doorknocker Earrings Coil motifs set with pear shape rose cut diamonds totaling approximately 0.24 carat accented with round diamonds total...Category
2010s American Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Jade, 18k Gold, White Gold
- 27.51 Carat Marquise Cut Ruby Flower Dangle EarringsLocated in New York, NYA fashionable pair of dangle earrings showcasing marquise cut rubies arranged in a chic flower design. Suspended on a row of marquise rubies set in...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Contemporary Dangle Earrings
MaterialsRuby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold