, Vintage Jewelry, Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry - Part 3 antique-estate-jewelry

The History of Sotheby’s Auction House

December 9, 2011

Sotheby’s is the second largest auction house which was founded in 1744 by Samuel Baker. It started with rare books and then decorative art. Sotheby’s expanded internationally to London, New York and Moscow. It then expanded into coins, prints and by World War I, expanded into the art market. Currently, Sotheby’s specializes in “Ancient and [...]

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The Dresden Green Diamond

December 9, 2011

The Dresden Green diamond is an extraordinary diamond whose origin is unknown. It is a 41 carat green diamond most well-known for its size, of course, and for its rich color. The Dresden Green diamond was first sold at the Leipzig, Germany Fair in 1743 to Fredrick Augustus II of Saxony for $150,000. At some [...]

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Jewelry Definitions

December 6, 2011

When selecting the vintage engagement ring and wedding bands for yourself and your fiancée, it is important to know a little something about jewelry terminology. Settings Bezel Setting The diamond sits on a plate of platinum or gold and is surrounded by a wall of metal that is perpendicular to the plate. Prong Setting Prong [...]

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The History of Rolex

December 6, 2011

Rolex was originally known as Wilsdorf and Davis Ltd. named after its owners, Hans Wilhelm Wilsdorf and Alfred James Davis in 1905. In 1908, after the marriage of Davis to Wilsdorf’s younger sister, the company was registered as Rolex. It was thought that Rolex was an easy name to pronounce and spell in any language. [...]

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Stone Setting Styles

December 1, 2011

There are many ways to set a stone including bezel setting, prong setting, bead setting, channel setting and invisible setting to name a few. Each style of setting offers a different visual appearance and manner of setting. It is important first to decide how to protect the diamond and whether the diamond is a main [...]

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History of Omega

December 1, 2011

In 1948, at the age of 23, Louis Brandt set up his workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1879, Brandt died and his sons Louis-Paul and Cesar switched from an assembly workshop to manufacturing. In 1885, the first mass produced caliber was created. In 1892, the first minute-repeater watch was created and manufactured. It was capable [...]

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History of Raymond Yard

November 29, 2011

Raymond Yard started as a doorboy at the age of thirteen working for Marcus & Co. in New York, considered one of the top rated jewelry firms in the United States. One day, those clients he opened doors for would be his clients. Yard moved up through the firm learning jewelry craftsmanship, production and salesmanship. [...]

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The History of the Breguet Firm

November 29, 2011

The Breguet firm was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775. His first location was at 51 Quai de I’Horloge in Paris. He was able to open his first workshop because of the dowry earned from the wedding of the daughter of a wealthy French bourgeois to his son. He became known in the circle of [...]

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History of John Hardy Jewelers

November 21, 2011

John Hardy is known for his sterling silver jewelry designs using four Balinese jewelry-making techniques; woven chain, woven mesh, grandulation and cut work. John Hardy, a Canadian designer and artist founded John Hardy Jewelers in 1989. After visiting and falling in love with Bali in the 1970’s, Hardy began learning the techniques of the local [...]

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The Chopard Company

November 21, 2011

Chopard is a Swiss luxury watchmaking, jewelry and accessories company which started in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard who was age 24 years old. The company was initially started by making accurately timed pocket watches. They made their movements in house rather than using movements from other manufacturers. In 1920, Chopard Company moved to Geneva and [...]

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