Victorian Emerald and Diamond Heart Pendant

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Emerald (2.75 ct) and diamond heart pendant.

English, ca. 1870
Length: 1-3/8 inches.
(Chain not included.)

$28,000

side view, Victorian Emerald and Diamond Heart Pendantrock crystal back view, Victorian Emerald and Diamond Heart Pendant

In a Nutshell: Blaze of Glory from Arts & Antiques

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Demand for cigarette cases kept Fabergé’s artisans busy. According to the 1998 book The Fabergé Case, Jalmari Haikonen, an engraver employed by Fabergé in St. Petersburg from 1915–18, noted seeing as many as 40 lined up, awaiting his attention. “A cigarette case was something you wanted a beautiful example of,” says Mark Schaffer, a principal at A La Vieille Russie in New York. “Some were simpler, and some were elaborate, but they utilized all the techniques for which Fabergé was famous.” . . .
Munn and Schaffer agree that strictures against smoking have reduced collector interest in Fabergé cigarette cases. Though aficionados pounce on magnificently ornamented examples, such as the anniversary case, the plainer ones in gold and silver, which were the entry-level luxury goods of their day, lost their popularity as smoking declined. Collectors have tried repurposing cases—Schaffer knows of some who have filled them with business cards, and Munn recalls others who have converted them into compacts—but most owners are more interested in their form than in their function. “They won’t take modern cigarettes, anyway,” Munn says. “Cigarettes of the time were longer.”.

Excerpted from:
In a Nutshell: Blaze of Glory
Arts & Antiques
By: Sheila Gibson Stoodley
November 2009

Sick Schaffer from ANTIQUE International

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Sick Schaffer
Source: ANTIQUE International
By Amy Page, Editor-in-Chief of Art and Auction

‘The only reason we sell,’ says New York dealer Peter Schaffer, ‘is that we are sicker than our customers. Our customers need to buy something once a month, once a year. If we don’t buy something once a day we’re miserable. We need our fix, and the only way we support that habit, which is a rather pleasant habit as opposed to some other drugs, is by selling. But we only sell 99% of an object. If you were to buy something and I were to see you wearing it, I would say, ‘that’s mine.’ We never give it up. We’re serial collectors.’ Schaffer has spent more than 30 years working in the family business, A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE, a gallery renowned for its exquisite jewellery and Russian works of art. Founded in Kiev in 1851, there are now three family members in the business – Peter, his brother Paul, and his nephew Mark.

There have been changes in the market for Russian art, thanks to the opening up of the former Soviet Union and the desire on the part of Russians, both those who live at home and those who emigrated, to collect the art of their county’s past. ‘The outcropping of money has increased the number of Russian buyers around,’ says Schaffer, adding that ‘some but not all buyers are using black money.’ The prices for Russian art in Russia are higher than they are anywhere else, and Russians are also actively buying abroad. ‘I heard of an auction in London which 60 people from Russia attended, and some of the highest prices in the world are being paid for Russian art in Scandinavia.’

There have been several waves of Russian immigration to the States, the newest being ‘very nice, delightful, intelligent people,’ says Schaffer. These new emigres differ considerably from those who came here in the early eighties, many of whom returned to Russia, even before the Wall came down. ‘They had tremendous chips on the shoulders,’ maintains Schaffer. ‘They would come in and ask the price of an object. If you said $1,000, they would say they had the same thing and wanted $2,000 for it. They had absolutely no conception. And that’s when the first real fakes came out. Because they couldn’t take property out of Russia, they unwittingly bought fakes, which the government was manufacturing. So they were kicked in the face in Russia and then kicked again when people told them that what they had were fakes. Naturally, they were convinced that everybody was out to get them. It was a very difficult time.’

Fakes are a real problem in the Russian works of art market. Although it is illegal to take anything really good out of Russia, Schaffer reminds us that ‘there are antiques by the pound coming out – both real and fake.’ A preponderance of fakes coming onto the market (icons, Russian enamels, silver, Faberge) have, thanks to technology, become more sophisticated than the crudely made forgeries of a few years ago. Forgers have become very advanced, ‘even to the point of laser-copying the marks, so that they are incredibly accurate. This has caused a lot of problems for institutions and collectors.’

One has to be very careful when buying things from Russia,’ Schaffer warns. ‘Someone recently came into the shop with somebody I know, and we started to talk about works of art and he started to bring pieces out to show me. And I said that there should also be such a piece and such and such. And he turned red and went into his big bag and pulled those pieces out and said, “I guess you know the collection,’ I replied ‘I sure do and I don’t want it.” They were all absolutely brand new with one or two old pieces salted in.’

One side effect of the opening up of Russia is that Schaffer was able to find out about the family’s business in Kiev by having someone look up the records. It turns out that they had two shops. ‘We were in hotels, where, oddly enough, we are now,’ he says. (The store at 59th Street and 5th Avenue is in the Sherry Netherland Hotel). ‘We had a French name because Russian was only spoken to servants and children. The store had two names, one in French and one in Russian. Someone gave us copies of our bilingual ads. It is amusing to be able to find these things.’

‘We have a very good reputation from a funny point of view,’ says Schaffer. ‘We are very pleased with the recommendations we get from other dealers around town and around the world in Russian art. We deal in a wide variety of weird and wonderful things. People go into JAMES ROBINSON, SHRUBSOLE, CHAIT, whatever, and they don t have it, and they’ll say “try Vieille Russie. They might have it.” And we might. Because we don’t care what the period is – as long as the quality is there, we are interested.’

Amy Page is the Editor-in-Chief of Art and Auction. This article is reprinted from ANTIQUE International.

Take a Taste, or a Big Bite, of Luxury from The NY Times

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3 P.M. Glance at the flashy displays of diamonds in the windows of Graff, Leviev and Chopard as you stroll down Madison Avenue, turning onto 59th Street. At the corner is À La Vieille Russie, a fifth-generation antique jewelry and art dealership, 781 Fifth Avenue, (212) 752-1727. The shop specializes in ornate snuffboxes, works by Fabergé (theirs is the world’s largest collection) and rare jewels. Mark A. Schaffer, the director and an appraiser on “Antiques Roadshow,” is happy to chat. “I love to have people come in and understand a little bit about these beautiful things,” he said. 

Excerpted from:
 Take a Taste, or a Big Bite, of Luxury
By Alexis Mainland
Published: December 17, 2009 

Photo: Julie Glassberg/The New York Times

Photo: Julie Glassberg/The New York Times

A Ruby Is To A Sapphire as an Emerald is to an Aquamarine

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 Gemstones come in traditional colors. However, these “traditional” colors are usually not the only colors that exist for these gems. Often some of the most interesting colors are used in antique jewelry.

A corundum by any other name is still a corundum when red, it is called RUBY. When it is blue, it is called SAPPHIRE. Sapphires need not, however, be blue – any color of the rainbow will do except red. Corundum also can have a natural ‘star’ in it depending on the angles of the silk-like inclusions. Shown here are many of the varieties of corundum. The ruby contains chromium and aluminum while blue sapphires contain titanium and iron. Iron and aluminum will give the sapphire yellow, and purple sapphires have chromium, titanium and aluminum

A garnet – in any other color – is still a garnet – when it is red, it is understood. However, in the nineteenth century (during the reign of Alexander III of Russia 1881-1894) the green variety was discovered and was called ‘demantoid’ (demon-like) because they thought that the devil had changed the color. (The most popular myth for the origin of the name is ‘diamond like’, something quite far from actuality.) This green is due to calcium and iron. Today there are other green varieties as well as other reddish varieties such as the ‘hessonite’ shown here (upper left). The hessonite garnet contains calcium, the pyrope contains manganese and the almandite contains iron.Gems 2

A diamond is a diamond is a diamond – and is probably one of the most commonly used gems in jewelry manufacturing through the ages. However, as can be seen from the pieces shown here, the color can be dramatically different. You can have bright yellows to black to green, blue and even pink and red. The colors of diamonds are seemingly endless. When nitrogen is present, you get a yellow diamond; and when you have boron, you get a blue diamond.

Pearls – coral – turquoise – topoz – spinel – shown in the picture. There are numerous other materials which man has used throughout time; these include turquoise used in both the snake necklace (English circa 1845) and the diamond cluster ring (English 1880). Turquoise was popular not only in Europe (usually Persian in origin) but also in the United States with the ever increasing interest in Native American and Hispanic cultures – especially in the Southwest.

Gem 3The seas have also provided us with materials which have been widely used, and still are to this day. These include, among others, coral, which is the skeletal remains of a sea animal colony built up from calcite with a color that can vary from light to dark orange to red. The example shown here is a coral and diamond brooch carved as a rose (English circa 1885). Another example is the scarab brooch, which comes from Russia at the end of the 19th century. The pearl also comes in a variety of colors and shapes. This is shown by the two necklaces of golden pearls pictured bottom right. The different colors of pearls are caused by impurities that can exist in the water. The shape of the pearl itself is also not always uniform, and sometimes a piece of jewelry is created around this baroque shape. An example of this is the snail brooch (English circa 1950). The other type of pearl shown in this picture is the ‘pink pearl’ or ‘conch pearl’. These pearls come from the conch shell mollusk around the Florida Keys, producing pearls like the ones used in the marquise shaped diamond cluster ring (English circa 1890).

Gem 4The spinel was for many years confused with the ruby and known as ‘spinel rubies’. The reason is that they are found with the corundum gems in the gravel beds of Burma and Ceylon. Spinel also comes in a variety of colors including orange, yellow and blue, however, the most prized color being a transparent red. (Square-cut spinel and diamond ring)

Topaz, or precious topaz as it is sometimes known, is the color of sherry wine and was widely used during the Victorian period and earlier. It also comes, rarely, in a rich red color (diamond cluster ring).

Beryl: aquamarine and emerald are two varieties of this stone. Both are beryl, as is a wonderful pink variety called ‘Morganite’.

Therefore, a ruby is to a sapphire as an emerald is to an aquamarine!

Russian Treasures – As mentioned in The New York Times

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The 150-year-old company À la Vieille Russie has greatly expanded its gallery at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. “We wanted to have more space to do exhibitions,” said Mark Schaffer, an owner. The first show, “St. Petersburg and Imperial Style,” includes antique Russian jewelry, Russian furniture, large Russian paintings, Imperial porcelain and enamel-monogrammed glasses.

A Fabergé silver caviar dish in the form of a salmon and a Fabergé cut-glass-and-silver punch bowl would look good atop the mahogany ladies’ writing table inlaid with marquetry foliage. Above it you could hang the portrait of Czar Nicholas II by Nikolai G. Shilder, which Mr. Schaffer said is similar to one by Shilder in the Peterhof Palace Museum, outside St. Petersburg. And for the last smokers in the world, there is a gilded silver Fabergé lighter in the form of a miniature samovar, circa 1900.

from

Antiques: Russian Treasures
Source: The New York Times, December 19, 2003
By Wendy Moonan.

Excerpted from The New York Times, December 19, 2003. Page E41.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company

ALVR & Forty Years of FORBES and FABERGE

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Winter 2004

The sale of a portion of the Forbes Magazine Collection of Fabergé has been of particular interest to A La Vieille Russie, whose long association with Malcolm Forbes began in 1964. At Easter of that year, he made his first purchase, a miniature Easter egg for $250., which, with his son Tim, now president of the magazine, he bought as a present for his wife, Roberta. Soon afterwards, he acquired the Duchess of Marlborough Egg by outbidding us at auction, leading Forbes into our gallery to purchase the Imperial Renaissance egg of 1894. Then, in 1965, when Landsdell Christie died, Malcolm, by that time hooked, bought all his eggs (Spring Flowers Egg, Chanticleer Egg, Kelch Hen Egg), which we had been entrusted to sell.

A La Vieille Russie’s partnership in building the Forbes Collection continued for 40 years. Close to 80 percent of the collection was purchased from, or with the advice of, the Schaffers of A La Vieille Russie, including two-thirds of the Imperial Easter Eggs. In all, A La Vieille Russie has handled 23 of Fabergé’s Imperial Easter Eggs.

In the words of Malcolm Forbes: The purchase of the 1902 Duchess of Marlborough egg, “is what got us rolling on what’s become the FORBES Fabergé collection. The under-bidder turned out to be Mr. Alexander Schaffer, owner of A La Vieille Russie. After that sale, he introduced himself … and took me to his shop on Fifth Avenue, opened his vault, and showed me four stunning Imperial Easter Eggs.” [More than I Dreamed, 1989] Alexander Schaffer “was a perceptive, twinkling, wise guide in helping to build the FORBES magazine collection of this great artist.” [Forbes, 1972] “Mr. Schaffer and I had come to know each other well during those many times I haunted his fabulous premises, as well as on the many occasions he had acted as agent and counsellor to FORBES in our frequently successful bidding at auctions.” [Fabergé, 1973, Hermione Waterfield]

Described by Malcolm Forbes as “the prime house of Fabergé in this country,” A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE (ALVR), was established in 1851 and specializes in antique jewelry, Fabergé, and works of art. Considered one of the world’s leading antiques dealers, A La Vieille Russie continues to advise clients and help build major collections, as achieved for Forbes, and provides the world’s largest choice of works by Fabergé. Founded in Kiev as a family firm, it remains a multigenerational family business, operated by brothers Peter and Paul Schaffer, and Paul’s son, Mark Schaffer. Among the first tenants of New York’s Rockefeller Center, ALVR moved to 785 Fifth Avenue in 1941, and, in 1961, to its present location, at 781 Fifth Avenue (corner of 59th Street), where it recently added significant new exhibition and storage space. A La Vieille Russie exhibits at the world’s major antiques shows, including London’s Grosvenor House, Maastricht’s TEFAF, New York’s International Show, and as a long-time exhibitor at the now 50 year-old Winter Antiques Show in New York, where ALVR in January proudly showed an important Fabergé Easter Egg, the Rocaille Egg of 1902.

Phone number: 212.752.1727
Address: 781 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Renaissance Jewelry (14th – 17th century)

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Although many pieces can be seen in paintings from the Renaissance worn by wealthy women who had portraits painted, actual pieces of jewelry that still exist intact today are rare. An important feature was the use of gemstones for their color. Hence, colored stones were more popular than diamonds due to diamonds’ lack of color. Modern cuts for gemstones had not been developed at this time, and metal working tools were also crude at this stage, therefore, gemstones were cut into cabochons (half-domes) and were bezel-set with few designs or embellishments on the metal. Pearls were very popular and were widely used in combination with colored stones and enameled gold.

18th Century Goldsmith Work: Snuff Boxes

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Snuff taking was exceedingly fashionable throughout the 18th century in Europe.  Therefore, snuff boxes and snuff taking accessories of all types and quality were produced – ranging from Sheffield plate boxes, to sterling silver boxes to gold boxes with gem stones and enamel miniatures, in each country’s own decorative tastes, and reflecting the period’s styles (Louis XV or Louis XVI for example).

The more common boxes were usually rectangular in shape. Materials such as tortoise shell or horn were used to line the inside.  Some boxes utilized many different colors of gold to create a landscape.  Snuff is a fine powder, and hinges had to be extremely well made so as to store the substance properly in the owner’s pocket.  The hinges were often incorporated into the overall design of the boxes and are hard to detect.

Ancient Jewelry

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Ancient jewelry used high karat gold, softer than 18K or 14K and easier to manipulate with crude tools.  Beads, crudely cut semi-precious stones and intaglios were often used in combination with gold.  Shapes were simple.  Animal forms, mythical gods and creatures were popular themes.  Pieces also often served a function, such as holding clothing together or pinning hair.  Many pieces were also often used for burial rites.

Georgian Jewelry (1714 – 1837)

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Georgian jewelry was produced in England around the time of the reigns of King George I to King George IV, 1714 to 1837.  Early Georgian style was heavily influenced by French Rococo. There are few pieces of Georgian jewelry still intact today: Not only was precious jewelry enjoyed only by a very limited few such as royalty, aristocracy and the very wealthy, but also were gemstones and gold often re-used and re-fashioned into later designs due to difficulty in obtaining raw materials.

Georgian jewelry is characterized by the use of what are known today as “semi-precious” stones in closed-back settings with floral or scroll motifs. These stones, such as garnets, topaz, aquamarines, amethysts etc, cut into early faceted gems, were very desirable and hard to obtain at that time. Gold work was often very simple. Stones were cut with few facets, making the stones appear glass-like. Eventually, more fully faceted diamonds started to become prevalent.

Russian Antique Decorative Arts and Jewelry

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The most noted Russian jeweler from the late 19th century to 1917, the year of the Revolution, was Carl Fabergé. He produced some of the world’s finest enamel work, featured on many different types of items, ranging from clocks to frames to jewelry.  Works of art included sculpture such as hardstone flower studies and miniature animals, and household items such as bellpushes, often made for the Tsar and other wealthy Russian families. Original Fabergé works of art have become some of the most coveted antique items on the market.  (More to come.)