Maine Antique Digest March 2015

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36-E Maine Antique Digest, March 2015
- FEATURE -
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery Holds Jewelry-Heavy
New Year’s Day Sale
by Mary Ann Brown
Fine jewelry accounted for a big
chunk of Nadeau’s Auction Gal-
lery’s annual NewYear’s Day sale
in Windsor, Connecticut. Ninety-three
of the 600-plus items auctioned were in
that category. After the auction, owner
Ed Nadeau said the auction house gen-
erally features jewelry in that auction.
“We try to make it our best sale, with
jewelry and quality items. Last January
first [2014] we had an auction with a
sapphire pin that was appraised by two
jewelers—one down south, and one
local, here, in the $10,000 to $12,000
range, and we got $105,000 for it.”
Nadeau remembered the story behind
that sale. “That was wonderful. It was
for a family that we did a lot of busi-
ness with, and she needed the money
to send her kid to college. She wanted
to get $10,000 or $15,000, so of course
when she got $105,000 minus commis-
sion, she was pretty excited.”
This year, jewelry from two collec-
tions brought some of the best prices
of the day. Nadeau said it was “a nice
grouping for us to have.” Twenty items
from the estate of Margaret Reventlow
and 33 lots of property from a private
collection sold for the benefit of the
Virginia Historical Society “combined
to make the lion’s share” of the jewelry
on offer that day.
When asked what era the jewelry
was from, Nadeau said, “I think most
of the items that came from the Virginia
lot were from the late 20th century. I’d
say ninety percent of the lots would
be that age. They were buying in the
1970s, 80s, and 90s.” The Reventlow
lots were mostly from an earlier period,
more likely the 1950s through the
1970s. Nadeau said, “They had some
really wonderful things.”
According to her obituary in the New
York Times, Margaret (Peggy) Astor
Drayton Reventlow was born in Lon-
don in 1915. “She was 98 years old and
lucid and laughing until the day she
died.” Her father was William Astor
Drayton, a great-grandson of John
Jacob Astor. Reventlow was an “inter-
nationally recognized sculptress and
painter,” who was also the founder and
president of the Connecticut Volunteer
Services for the Blind and Handicapped
until 2011. She worked tirelessly at her
chosen mission “to provide blind and
handicapped persons with the same
range and quality of reading materials
available to the sighted public.”
Many sale highlights were itemized
in the presale press information includ-
ing several Van Cleef & Arpels piec-
es—a duet pin, a gold compact with
diamonds, pearl and diamond earrings,
and a pearl triple-strand bracelet; and
Cartier items—a necklace, bracelets,
and a gold and coral-bead perfume bot-
tle. See photos with captions accompa-
nying this column for more informa-
tion about these.
The top lot of the sale was an 18k
yellow gold Van Cleef & Arpels con-
vertible duet pin set with diamonds and
pearls from the Reventlow estate that
sold for $36,000 (est. $14,000/18,000).
There will be a smaller group of jew-
elry in Nadeau’s Auction Gallery’s next
auction, slated for late March or early
April. The focus category of that sale
is American antiques. Check the web
site ) for the
on-line catalog and exact auction date,
which was not yet set at press time.
Many of the finest
jewelry lots from the
Nadeau New Year’s
Day sale came from
the estate of the art-
ist and philanthropist
Margaret Reventlow
of Litchfield, Con-
necticut. Reventlow’s
father, William Astor
Drayton, was a great-grandson of John Jacob
Astor, according to her July 3, 2014, obituary
in the New York Times. The top lot was this
18k yellow gold Van Cleef & Arpels convert-
ible duet pin set with diamonds and pearls.
In the primary part, the 13 pearls average
approximately 5 to 5.5 mm each. The first of
the two large center diamonds was a modern
cut weighing approximately 3.06 carats by
formula, and the second was European cut,
weighing 3.34 carats by formula. The third
diamond is missing. There are two Europe-
an-cut diamonds set on top of the center dia-
monds, with an approximate carat weight of
1.20 by formula. An additional 47 diamonds,
a mixture of European, full-, and single-cut,
have an approximate total carat weight of
2.75. The additional conversion gold frame
has more pearls (at top and suspending).
Nadeau said, “That was our best piece of jew-
elry. I wouldn’t think it would be really old…
mid-century or a little later. Not late 20th
century, though.” The two-part pin sold for
$36,000 (est. $14,000/18,000). Nadeau’s Auc-
tion Gallery.
This 18k gold medallion, signed “A.
Borrel 1896,” from the Reventlow
estate, weighed 26.1 grams. It brought
$1080 (est. $500/800). Nadeau’s Auc-
tion Gallery.
Nadeau had this strawberry brooch with
diamonds, rubies, and emeralds from the
Reventlow estate appraised by a jeweler to
get a comprehensive description and esti-
mate of value. The brooch consists of three
18k gold and platinum leaves set with a total
of 146 round diamonds. The diamonds are
a mixture of full- and single-cut with an
approximate total carat weight of two car-
ats by formula. The three red strawberries
are 14k yellow gold and consist of 188 round
rubies. The green strawberry (at the top) is
18k yellow gold and set with 41 round emer-
alds. The stems of each berry are platinum
with 31 diamonds total. The emeralds and
rubies measure approximately 2.5 to 2.8
mm. The brooch sold well above the high
estimate. Nadeau said, “When we have an
estimate of $2500 to $4500 and get $10,200,
we’re happy.” Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
“They had some
really wonderful
things.”
This pair of 14k white gold, pearl, and dia-
mond clip-back earrings from the Revent-
low estate was set with one pearl on each
with each measuring approximately 12 mm,
surrounded by diamonds on three-quarters
of the crescent. The total carat weight of the
full- and single-cut diamonds was approxi-
mately one carat by formula per earring.
The pearls did not match; one is a gray
Tahitian; the other, a light gray Mabe with
a drill hole. The pair realized $5760 (est.
$1500/2500). Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
From the Reventlow estate, this
18k gold braided necklace with
ball and tassel ends, stamped “18k
Italy” and weighing 175.7 grams,
sold for $5400 (est. $3000/4500).
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
This 18k gold bracelet with large links
and a large octahedron charm, mounted
with eight cabochon cut stones, was
from property from a private collection
sold for the benefit of the Virginia His-
torical Society. It sold for $1560 (est.
$1000/2000). Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
This 18k yellow gold link necklace
and matching link bracelet, each
mounted with an ancient-style coin
and three cabochon-cut rubies,
from the Reventlow estate, sold for
$4200 (est. $2500/3500). Nadeau’s
Auction Gallery.
From the same consignor who
brought in the Cartier gold medal-
lion, this Audemars, Piguet & Co.
platinum pocket watch with 19 jew-
els has a dial marked “Audemars,
Piguet & Co./ Brassus & Geneve.”
It brought $1320 (est. $300/600).
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
This Cartier gold medallion on a teak
panel was marked “Cartier Paris” and
was probably from the third quarter of
the 20th century, according to Nadeau.
It brought $1920 (est. $300/500).
Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.