#MiddleburyCT #Antiques #ButterflyJewelry #WoodenChest
In North America, summer, especially late summer, is butterfly season. Multiple generations hatch as caterpillars grow, pupate and emerge to pollinate flowers and lay eggs of their own.
If you would prefer a butterfly that lasts longer, they often appear in decorative arts and jewelry, like the pin or pendant in the photo that sold for $594 at New Orleans Auction Galleries. Real-life butterflies are admired for the striking colors and patterns of their wings, but this pin dazzles with gemstones. Its colors come from about 1.72 carats of sapphires.
While the name of the stone is synonymous with a brilliant shade of blue, sapphires can come in many other colors, as they do here. About 2.90 carats of diamonds add more sparkle (and value!) to the pin. They are rose-cut, an old shape with irregular facets meant to preserve the original size and shape of the stone. Today, most diamonds in jewelry are brilliant-cut, a style that was developed in the 18th century to create more facets on the stone and reflect more light.
Q: A heavy wooden chest was dropped off at our local transfer location and given to us because neighbors know we like odd pieces of furniture. We had to use a forklift to move it. We think it is a bridal chest from the early 20th century. It is 43 inches high, 78 1/2 inches long and 27 1/2 inches deep. The lid has remnants of painted pasteboard panels heavily decorated with gilding, gesso rabbits and Maltese crosses. The interior is cedar. Does it have any value?
A: Large wooden bridal chests in good condition can sell for a few hundred dollars. Size, provenance and condition, or a well-known maker, help determine price. Chests that are too heavy to move easily or are in poor condition don’t sell well. The peeling pasteboard panels on your chest would be difficult to restore. A heavy European decorated bridal chest from the second half of the 19th century was up for auction last year. It was in poor condition and listed as “difficult to move.” It didn’t sell, even though the starting bid was listed as $150. You might find someone who enjoys taking on a project, but the weight will keep most people from tackling it.
TIP: Wear your old jewelry, especially the pieces that look old. You will be surprised how many will ask about it.
Current Prices
Coca-Cola, sign, “For Extra Fun … Take More Than One,” woman with two packs of Coke, cardboard, easel back, 1963, 30 x 15 inches, $85.
Toy, lion, Leo, mohair, lying down, glass eyes, stitched nose, whiskers, airbrushed features, hang tag, button in ear, Steiff, 10 inches, $120.
Steuben, tazza, flared, four open scrolls around short pedestal base, round foot, George Thompson, c. 1940, 4 1/2 x 10 inches, $255.
Advertising, sign, “We Give Triple-S Blue Stamps,” blue speech bubble, owl on branch, yellow ground, 47 x 34 1/2 inches, $345.
Furniture, seat, buggy, painted, green ground, scene on back, young couple, dog, horse and carriage, hilly landscape with house and trees in background, Martha Farham Cahoon, 33 1/2 x 41 x 21 inches, $2,000.
For more collecting news, tips and resources, visit www.Kovels.com.
© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.
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