Whiteside & Blank Art Nouveau Enamel 14k Amethyst Pearl Gingko Antique Pendant

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Whiteside & Blank Art Nouveau Enamel 14k Amethyst Pearl Gingko Antique Pendant

About the Item

An extremely fine example of Art Nouveau period jewelry, this exquisite pendant is a timeless treasure of the highest quality. Crafted from 14k yellow gold, accented with amethyst and natural pearls, it is adorned with an intricately detailed gingko motif, masterfully enameled for a superb luster. Exuding luxury and refinement, this is a unique piece to be treasured for generations to come. The pendant features double gingko leaves in classic Spring-green iridescent enamel gradated to a peachy-pink enamel to the base. To the open center is a 6mm faceted round amethyst set in a gold bezel and framed by an elongated gold heart shape, with 3.5mm natural pearls to the top and to the base. The gold bale at the top is a flared ribbed form; and to the base of the leaves, sinuous Art Nouveau curving elements in gold, ending with a lovely 13×6mm asymmetrical natural pearl teardrop pendant. Weight: 3.3 dwt. Measures 1.83" L x 1.27" W. Enamel is in impressive shape; very minor losses. Chip to the back of the pearl drop. Bale stamped 14 along with Whiteside & Blank's crescent arrow maker's mark. The history of Whiteside & Blank is enthralling. Located in Newark, New Jersey, the company was founded by Newton Whiteside and Henry Blank. When Whiteside retired in 1912, Blank bought out his shares and changed the name to Henry Blank & Co. Under both names the company was a leading supplier to Tiffany & Co. and their maker's mark can be seen on gorgeous jeweled watches sold under the Tiffany name at the turn of the century. A watch with their maker's mark sold under the Tiffany name achieved $42,000 in 2005 in Christie's Exceptional Jewels auction. There is also evidence that Blank made watches for Patek Philippe in the 1920s and later for Cartier. Fascinatingly, Henry Blank was a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The following from Encyclopedia Titanica: Henry boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg as a first class passenger (ticket number 112277, £31, Cabin A-31). Though travelling alone, Blank was far from being so during the voyage. At some point, either in Cherbourg or shortly after boarding the Titanic, Blank struck up an acquaintance with two German passengers - William B. Greenfield and Alfred Nourney (who had booked passage as Baron von Drachstedt). Greenfield was travelling with his mother back to their home in New York City, and Nourney himself was heading to New York from his native Cologne, Germany, in search of his interests in the demonstrations of high speed automobiles for manufacturers in New York. On the night of 14 April, Henry Blank retired to the first-class smoking room with Greenfield and Nourney. The trio began a card game, lit their cigars and began conversing. When the Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 p.m., Henry only remembered having felt "a slight jar." A loud voice called out to the men in the room, "Hey boys, we've just grazed an iceberg!" Blank, Greenfield and Nourney were soon on their feet with the others in a vain attempt to spot the berg from the promenade deck. The berg having passed and not in sight, the men returned to the smoking room and did not seem worried. Blank later recalled that he had felt worse jars "when the ship's propellers had jumped out of the water." The Titanic came to a stop shortly after the men returned. Puzzled, the three men left the smoking room and went below to look for trouble. They went to F deck and to their surprise and horror, saw seawater entering the squash racquet court. Blank estimated that the depth of the water would have covered his shoes. The men needed no orders or instructions and quickly returned to their staterooms to prepare for an inevitable evacuation. As Henry was leaving his stateroom, complete with his lifebelt fastened, his steward noticed him and was pleased that he had heeded the order to put on lifebelts. "It will keep you even warmer!" the steward called out to Blank, explaining how cold it was outside on deck. Henry was among the first to arrive on the starboard Boat Deck. Small groups followed, and soon William Greenfield and his mother, Alfred Nourney, and a friend of the Greenfields, Mrs Antoinette Flegenheim, arrived. The group was assisted into lifeboat 7, and joined about twenty-two others in the boat before it was lowered away at 12:45 a.m. Boat 7 was the first lifeboat to be lowered from the sinking Titanic. Henry Blank and other men who entered the boat had no trouble in getting in. Since it was so early in the evacuation, many women refused to leave the Titanic without their husbands, and male companions. In an effort to move the evacuation along, First Officer William Murdoch, who was in charge of lowering the boats on the starboard boat deck, did allow several men in boat 7 to help with the rowing and because there was plenty of room. Henry Blank later said, "Every woman and child in sight was ordered into the boat but there were not enough there to fill it and in that way some of us got a chance for our lives." The boat pulled away from the sinking ship, and Henry assisted in the rowing for a brief time to keep himself warm. He later said that he was never a sailor and knew nothing about the sea but one will learn just about anything when it comes to saving his or her life. Henry described the Titanic's sinking. "After we were some distance from the ship, I heard revolver shots on board, but I don't know what part of the ship they came from. I was under the impression, as were many in my boat, that everyone had escaped. When there arose a roar from the vessel herself and the screams of those passengers and crew still, I was almost overcome by the horror of the situation. Realizing that many were still aboard and left to perish has left a permanent scar. We saw the Titanic plunge forward and then down out of sight but not before we heard the explosions of her boilers. The sea was very calm and there was floating ice everywhere. The women in our boat began to get chilled and we men took off our coats and wrapped them about them." The next morning, the occupants of boat 7 were pulled from the icy Atlantic by the rescue ship, Carpathia. Henry Blank quickly wired his family that he was safe but the message never reached them. He later recalled. "On the Carpathia , we were treated with the utmost kindness. The women got places in the staterooms while we men bunked in the smoking room and on the decks. I didn't have my clothes off from Sunday night until I got home". When the news of the disaster reached the Blank home in Glen Ridge, the entire household was thrown into a quandary. It was not until Henry was reunited with his wife at the Hotel Seville in New York City, did she and her family believe that their husband and father had been saved. Henry Blank returned to his firm, and prospered further in later years. He never liked to discuss the Titanic disaster, and his only relic from the disaster was a White Star Line playing card that he saved from his card game in the smoking room. The card is still preserved by his descendants today.

Creator:
Whiteside & Blank
Metal:
Gold,14k Gold,Yellow Gold,Enamel
Stone:
Pearl,Amethyst,Natural Pearl
Stone Cut:
Round Cut
Weight:
3.3 g
Style:
Art Nouveau
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
Circa 1905
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
North Attleboro, MA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU3314219852362