Fred Leighton Multi-Color Bombé Sapphire and Emerald Earclips
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Weight:38.6 g
- Dimensions:Diameter: 1 in (25.4 mm)
- Style:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- 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 7 days of delivery.
- Ruby, Diamond, and 18K Gold "Raspberry" Bombé EarclipsLocated in New York, NYThese playful and charming earclips made in France circa 1960 consist of 58 cabochon pink rubies weighing approximately 11.60 carats and 14 round br...Category
Mid-20th Century French Modern Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
- Diamond and Platinum "Satellite" EarclipsLocated in New York, NYRetro-style round brilliant and baguette diamonds laid out in a distinctive satellite pattern. This exquisite design consists of approximately 6.70 carats of round diamonds in a nat...Category
Vintage 1970s Retro Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Platinum
- South Sea Pearl Sapphire and Diamond EarringsLocated in New York, NYTwo lovely 14mm South Sea pearls are adorned with oval-cut blue sapphires weighing approximately 1.50 carats total and round brilliant diamonds weighing approximately .30 carats tota...Category
Late 20th Century Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, Platinum
- 1960's Pearl and Diamond Bombe Ring in PlatinumBy MellenLocated in New York, NYA beautiful assemblage of 108 round brilliant diamonds weighing approximately 6 carats accenting a lovely and impressive 9.5mm pearl perched atop this mid-century fashion bombe desig...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Pearl, Platinum
- Multi-Gem Cabochon "Jubilee" Necklace 1, 000+ Carats 18K Gold and PlatinumLocated in New York, NYA whimsical and dynamic burst of color beckons with approximately 125 precious and semi-precious cabochon colored gems totalling approximately 1,065 carats and approximately 125 roun...Category
Vintage 1970s More Necklaces
MaterialsAmethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Garnet, Moonstone, Pink Sapphire, Tourmal...
- David Webb Burma Sapphire and Diamond RingBy David WebbLocated in New York, NYThe impressive sapphire of 26.28 carats which exhibits a rich blue hue and brilliant transparency with few imperfections is representative of the finest Burma sapphires. The exceptio...Category
Late 20th Century Modern Cocktail Rings
MaterialsDiamond, Sapphire, Platinum, 18k Gold
- Fred Leighton Coral and Diamond EarringsLocated in Dallas, TXClip On Earrings with Omega Clasp that can be used for pierced ears. Coral Discs with Diamonds set in them in a pattern and accents on top and bottom of ea...Category
1990s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsCoral, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Fred Paris Carved Emerald Diamond Gold EarclipsLocated in San Antonio, TX18 karat gold, earclips set with oval carved emeralds, surmounted by round diamond weight approximate 3.75 carats, signed FRED, PARIS, French assy marks.Category
Vintage 1960s French Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Emerald
- Diamond and Gold Bombé EarclipsLocated in Idar-Oberstein, DEDiamond and gold bombé earrings in 18k yellow gold. The earclips are designed in an S-shape with a round brilliant cut diamonds in the centre of the design...Category
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold
- Fred Leighton Shell Gold EarringsBy Fred LeightonLocated in Darnestown, MDVery chic shell earrings with pyramidal gold medallions by Fred Leighton. The shells are natural so they are not the exact same color. Backs are clips that can be converted to posts...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Clip-on Earrings
Materials14k Gold
- Chanel Bombe Pearl and Crystal EarclipsBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYLarge faux pearls by Gripoix are set in twisted gold surrounds and accented with Swarovski crystals for Chanel, Paris. 1980s France. Excellent condition. 1.25" x .5"Category
Vintage 1980s French Clip-on Earrings
- Vintage Fred Leighton Earrings Turquoise Diamond PlatinumBy Fred LeightonLocated in Beverly Hills, CAElegant and feminine pair of earrings created by Fred Leighton. Made of platinum, Persian turquoise and set with twenty-four rose cut diamonds (G-H color, VS clarity, 1.20 carats app...Category
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold, Platinum