Denise Yezbak Moore

Victorian  Combo Jewelry This week for Antique Tuesday I am featuring Victorian combination pendant/brooch jewelry.    Circa 1880 - Retail Value $5,058 The 1880 Griffin brooch/pendant above shows how the clasp actually unscrews to transform into a pendant.       Circa 1890 - Retail Value $2,862    In this Victorian diamond rose cut piece the bale folds up to be worn as a pendant or down for a brooch. Circa 1850 - Retail Value $7,920 Thanks to a discreet placed system in the back, the parts that enable this jewel to be worn as a brooch or pendant can be easily switched. Once again, I would like to thank Adin Fine Antique Jewelry for use of their photos and information.  Please visit their site for more examples. 

A touch of history ... Victorian gold archaeological-revival necklace attributed to Fontenay. Circa 1870 - Retail Price $33,548 The continuous uniform fringe decorated with beads, wirework and florettes of this necklace is typical for the work of Eugène Fontenay. A demi-parure of very similar design is illustrated in French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century, Henri Vever, translated by Katherine Purcell, p. 643. and a similar necklace plus matching earrings were sold at Sotheby's for $52,000 (Important Jewels auction, New York, February 2008 sale N08410, lot 110).   Eugène Fontenay (1823-87) was one of the foremost goldsmiths in France during the second half of the nineteenth century. He was a great admirer of the ancient techniques of granulation and filigree, and became best known for his outstanding work in the 'archaeological' style. Fontenay was no doubt inspired by the Campana collection of ancient jewelery, acquired by Napoleon III in 1860, and his ...