Diana, Princess of Wales, played a starring role in the “Legends of Hollywood and Royalty” auction presented by Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies Sept. 6-8. Showcasing pop culture wonders from film, fashion and royalty, it was Princess Di’s wardrobe that stole the show, with three of her gowns selling for more than $1.65 million.
Also shining brightly was a Givenchy couture pink evening dress worn by Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Blake Ewards’ 1961 film classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s that sold for $444,500. The eye-catching iridescent pink dress is a fashion confection that never loses its infectious sweet nature even more than sixty years after it was designed.
If glamorous gowns aren’t your style, the event also featured a maroon wool Starfleet command jacket worn by William Shatner as James T. Kirk in the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. It sold for $127,000. There were plenty of other costume pieces, props, scripts and more movie memorabilia available. Want to accessorize? A purple leather glove worn and signed by Jack Nicholson as the Joker in 1989’s Batman sold for $10,400.
The auction wasn’t all about what you see onscreen or at events. Some of its highlights came from the personal belongings of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. A heart-shaped locket, inscribed by Bogie to Bacall sold for $57,150, more than double its high estimate. Another gift from Bogart to Bacall, an engraved bracelet with a whistle charm (“You know how to whistle, don’t you?”) sold for $158,750, and their wedding rings sold for $190,500.
An evening gown custom made for Princess Diana by designer Bruce Oldfield was one of the auction’s standouts.
Just What the Doctor Ordered: Norwegian Metal Detectorist Unearths Gold Find of the Century
Earlier this year, Erlend Bore’s doctor told him he needed a hobby, anything to get the 51-year-old Norwegian man off the couch and moving. So Bore bought a metal detector – and promptly stumbled across Norway’s most stunning gold find in a century.
In August, Bore unearthed nine coin-like gold pendants engraved with rare horse symbols, along with ten gold beads and three gold rings on the southern island of Rennesøy, near the city of Stavanger, in one of the most amazing discoveries in Norwegian history.
On the advice of his doctor, Bore was out walking the mountainous island with his metal detector when he came across the treasure weighing more than 100 grams (approximately 3 1/2 ounces). Bore said his “heart was racing” when he realized the magnitude of his discovery.
“I had been searching along the shore but only found scrap metal and a small coin. So, I decided to explore higher ground, and the metal detector immediately started beeping,” Bore said. What he held in his hands was a clump of earth containing what looked to be gold coins. “At first, I thought I had found chocolate coins or plastic pirate treasure. It was surreal.”
According to Associate Professor Håkon Reiersen at the Museum of Archaeology, the gold pendants date from around 500 AD. The gold pendants – known as “bracteates” – resemble gold coins but were used primarily as jewelry, not for buying or selling goods.
“The nine bracteates and the gold beads would have formed an exceptionally splendid necklace, which was crafted by skilled goldsmiths and worn by the most powerful individuals in society,” Reiersen said. “Finding so many bracteates together is exceedingly rare. This is the first such find in Norway since the 1800s, and it’s also an uncommon find in a Scandinavian context.”
Per Norwegian law, the monumental discovery has been turned over to the government. All objects dating before 1537 and coins older than 1650 are considered state property and must be reported. The gold find is now with the Museum of Archaeology.
The gold treasure photographed immediately after Erlend Bore unearthed it with a metal detector.
Photo: Erlend Bore
Erlend Bore with his gold find and metal detector at the Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger. The discovery was delivered to the museum the day after it was unearthed.
Photo: Courtesy Anniken Celine Berger, Museum of Archaeology, University of Stavanger
Bogie and Bacall Love Affair Keepsake Comes to Auction
Despite their age difference, the silver-screen to real-life romance of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart was arguably the greatest love story of the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. Bacall, who was known for her alluring, sultry film presence and her distinctive, husky voice, was 20 when in 1945 she married Bogart, who at 45 was already a star thanks to such film classics as “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca”.
“No one has ever written a romance better than we lived,” Bacall said of her life with Bogart.
Introduced on the set of 1944’s noir “To Have and Have Not”, 19-year-old Bacall and 44-year-old Bogart quickly fell hard for each other, despite Bogart being already married to his third wife. After filming, the pair was forced to split and return to their normal lives, until reuniting months later on the set of “The Big Sleep”. Shortly after rekindling their love affair, Bogart officially split from his wife and married Bacall on May 21, 1945, at Malabar Farm in Lucas, Ohio. Despite the Hollywood naysayers claiming the relationship would never last, Bogie and Bacall stayed together until his tragic death from cancer in 1957.
The inscribed locket will certainly go for more than the conservative presale estimate of $10,000-$20,000. The matching 14k gold wedding rings are estimated at $100,000-$200,000.
Humphrey Bogart’s gifted locket to the love of his life, Lauren Bacall.
Photo: Julien’s Auctions
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in a scene from the 1947 movie “Dark Passage.”
Photo: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
From Cartier to Costume, The Unmistakable Beauty of Fruit Salad Jewelry
There are lots of nicknames costume jewelry collectors have given their favorite styles over the years. None are so fun, perhaps, as “Fruit Salad.” This term pertains to adornment made by one of the giants in the costume jewelry business to imitate a particular type of Art Deco era fine jewelry. And, as with many other terms associated with high-end costume jewelry, this one is often used incorrectly to draw attention in online listings.
By Pamela Wiggins Siegel
Fruit Salad Jewelry Origins
We like to think of costume jewelry companies and designers as great innovators, and some of them certainly have marketed their share of unique creations. Very often, though, fine jewelry styles have trickled down to yield some of the most popular and costly costume jewelry designs over the years. Pieces made with Fruit Salad stones fall into this category.
Before there was Fruit Salad made by top costume jewelry businesses in the 1930s and beyond, there was Tutti Frutti by Cartier. The term Tutti Frutti, which is still in use today, describes carved emeralds, sapphires, and rubies shaped like fruits, flowers, and leaves set into precious metals. Other accompanying stones are dome shaped or ribbed, and of course there are almost always diamond accents sprinkled within these magnificent pieces.
Cartier called these designs “foliage” or “Hindou jewels” when they were first made in the 1920s and ’30s. Much like the term Art Deco coming about in the late 1960s, Tutti Frutti wasn’t coined to describe these works of wearable art until the 1970s.
Jacques Cartier, who ran the London branch of his family’s famed French jewelry house, was responsible for bringing the carved stones back to Europe from India. He would quickly share them with his brother Louis, the heir of Cartier. Both men were greatly inspired by not only these carved jewels, but the culture of India. They channeled their scholarly pursuits on the topic into the creation of some truly outstanding jewels.
These vividly colored imported gemstones were not as fine as some of the others being used in Cartier jewelry during the period. This led the first Tutti Frutti pieces to be priced lower in comparison to designs crafted with more flawless stones. As noted in The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire by Francesca Cartier Brickell, these pieces were all about color, so quality wasn’t as much of a concern.
Socialite Daisy Fellowes embraced everything about the exotic look of Tutti Frutti designs and had Cartier create the famed Collier Hindou in 1935 using her own stash of carved gems. It was a convertible necklace that could be taken apart to wear the central element as a clip brooch. Tutti Frutti designs on par with that piece are still being produced for Cartier’s high jewelry collections today.
Marketing Fruit Salad Jewelry
Trifari is the undisputed winner of the inspired by Cartier prize when it comes to imitations of Tutti Frutti jewelry. This shouldn’t be too surprising since their lead designer, Alfred Philippe, worked for Cartier before joining the Rhode Island-based firm in 1930.
By that time, Tutti Frutti jewelry was already being marketed to Cartier’s elite customers. Demand had shifted due to the Great Depression, however, and Philippe was inspired to design similar styles with imitation stones for Trifari. Most of these pieces are marked with the initials TKF for Trifari, Krussman and Fishel, the early signature used by Trifari. Decades later, just like Tutti Frutti, the stones in these pieces were nicknamed Fruit Salad.
While Fruit Salad stones are often described as carved by sellers, they’re actually made of molded glass rather than hand carved like genuine gemstones. In addition to the jewel-toned colors of green, blue, and red popularized by Cartier, Trifari branched out to include imitations of moonstone, turquoise, coral, and other gems. The shapes include tiny lemons, pears, melons, and leaves.
Trifari, like Cartier, was also known for making convertible jewelry. Trifari’s versions featuring imitations of carved gemstones include a particularly rare and desirable bracelet with a pair of the brand’s Clip-mates dress clips fastened at the top. The clips can be removed and worn separately, and other Clip-mate styles can be swapped in their place. Clip-mates were also made into convertible “duette” brooches that can be worn together as a pin or separated into two clips.
Some other jewelry companies made their own versions of jewelry using colorful molded glass stones. Mazer is the most prolific in terms of what collectors describe as Fruit Salad. The stones in this brand’s pieces are usually molded glass leaves or flowers but sometimes include fruit shapes. While these stones were used sporadically later, and those designs are desirable as well, the most sought-after Fruit Salad designs date to the 1930s. Later styles by Trifari will be marked with the crown over the T signature rather than TKF.
What Fruit Salad Jewelry Isn’t
Online sellers sometimes take license in describing their wares, especially in listing titles. Fruit Salad is a term used incorrectly quite often, and sometimes it’s a case of mistaken identity when a piece contains oodles of colorful stones. Some describe Italian glass or plastic fruit jewelry as Fruit Salad simply because they include fruit shaped beads. Other sellers, however, use the term intentionally to draw attention.
Why does this even matter? At the end of the day, most collectors just look at the jewelry and scroll on if it’s not described correctly. They do take notice, however, and tend to avoid sellers who habitually describe things inaccurately feeling they may be overlooking flaws or other pertinent details. Bottom line, if you want to be seen as a trustworthy, do your research and save the term Fruit Salad for stones that mimic the look of carved gemstones shaped like fruits, leaves and flowers.
Values for Fruit Salad Jewelry
While you might not be able to afford a piece of Cartier Tutti Frutti jewelry for your collection, you just might be able to snag a Fruit Salad piece that’s more in your price range with some shopping diligence. Smaller brooches and pairs of earrings start in the $125 to $300 range with prices going up from there. Many of the Trifari designs from the 1930s, though, easily sell in the thousands now.
Demand is strong in this area of costume jewelry collecting, especially from Asian buyers, so values are on the way up. Keep that in mind as you contemplate a purchase since the nicest pieces don’t stay on the market for long now when priced to sell.
PAMELA WIGGINS SIEGEL has been buying, selling and collecting costume jewelry for more than 30 years. She is the author of Warman’s Costume Jewelry and the co-founder of Costume Jewelry Collectors Int’l, an organization dedicated to hosting events and providing educational resources for collectors. Visit her online at www.chicantiques.com and www.cjci.co.
Cartier Tutti Frutti multi-gem bangle featuring carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires, pear-shaped diamonds, round diamonds and emeralds, platinum and gold, signed Cartier, $550,000.
Courtesy Christie’s
Mazer Fruit Salad brooch, c. 1940, $150-$250.
Trifari Fruit Salad Clip-mate “duette” brooch, 1930s, $450-$550.
Trifari Fruit Salad dress clips pair, 1930s, $350-$450.
Trifari Fruit Salad “Floraleaf” set, 1947, $450-$550.
Trifari Fruit Salad and mother-of-pearl earrings, early 1960s, $125-$225.
Images courtesy Jay B. Siegel
Judy Lee Sunflower Pin
Q: I inherited this vintage sunflower pin from my grandmother. It’s marked “Judy Lee.” What is it worth? A: Judy Lee jewelry was made by Blanch-ette, Inc., of Chicago. The company was founded by Blanche Viano in 1949. Later, her husband, Aldo, became general manager of the company. In 1958 the company introduced a line […]
Christmas Pin
Q: I received a gold pin that looks like two Christmas bells and a bow as a gift several years ago and would like to know more about it. The red and green parts are shiny, like glass. Each bell has a tiny rhinestone “clapper” and there is a red rhinestone holly berry on the […]
Charlie McCarthy Pin
Q: I’ve had a Charlie McCarthy pin since I was a little girl. I’m 91 years old now. The pin is about an inch high. Is there any interest in this? Does it have any value?
A: Charlie McCarthy was the ventriloquist’s dummy used by Edgar Bergen. Bergen began performing as a ventriloquist while he was still in high school. In 1922, he paid a woodcarver $35 to make a dummy from a sketch he gave him. Charlie first wore a tuxedo, top hat and monocle for a performance at a night club in 1935. Bergen and Charlie’s popularity grew after they began appearing on the Rudy Vallee radio program in 1936. They starred in their own radio show from 1937 to 1956 and appeared in movies and on television. When Bergen died in 1978, the dummy was donated to The Smithsonian Institution. Charlie McCarthy items are popular collectibles. Pins like yours were made in celluloid and in Bakelite in the late 1930s. Celluloid pins sell for $20 to $40, Bakelite for about $25.
Rita Bracelet
Q:Can you provide any additional information on this gold bracelet? It has a word in each segment and reads “with love to darling Rita 1944 Iraq.” I was curious to know if it perhaps was gifted to Rita Hayward from Aly Khan. What do you think?
A: Rita Hayworth (1918-1987) was a glamorous actress who appeared in more than 60 movies from 1926 to 1972. She was born Margarita Cansino and used the name Rita Cansino until 1937, when she took her mother’s maiden name as her last name. She was at the height of her popularity in the 1940s. She left her career to marry Aly Khan in 1949 and didn’t make any more movies until after they divorced in 1951. Aly Khan didn’t meet Hayworth until 1948, so this bracelet was not a gift from him.
Five Gifts this Mother’s Day — With A Collecting Twist!
With Mother’s Day looming, the traditional gift is, of course, flowers. Be different! This year, celebrate the special day for your mother with collectibles and vintage items all depicting or decorated with images of flowers.
Mother’s Day in America was the brainchild of a woman named Anna Jarvis. She started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her mother died. The first significant celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia. It became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later campaign against the holiday because she thought it had become too commercial.
Here are Kovels’ suggestions for Mother’s Day gifts that combine both the love of collectibles and flowers.
Jewelry — Flower pins are always in fashion. If your mother likes a flower garden, she would like a flower pin. You can choose pins made from semi-precious stones like turquoise or colored glass or plastic. Pins can be modern or more classic. Pins with makers names on the back are the best investment.
Joseff of Hollywood figural pin, hand holding a bouquet of flowers, gold tone metal with 4 square raised jewel-tone crystals, 3 3/4 in., $438.Photo: Ripley Auctions
Figurine — Buy a decorative figurine or a ceramic flower. Prices are a bargain right now. They can look beautiful as part of a flower arrangement display. Choose a figurine or flower that will remind your mother of her family.
Boehm porcelain flower, Just Joey Rose, limited edition, 1981, 5 x 12 in., $212.Photo: Bruce Kodnar Galleries
Meissen figurine, Boy Gardener No. 25, marked, 4 3/4 in., $313. Photo: Taylor & Harris
Picture frame — Take a photo of your mother’s favorite garden and choose a picture frame that fits the picture. Pick a frame that compliments the garden, perhaps a red frame if you have a lot of red tulips or a yellow frame for a garden of daffodils. You can always paint the frame to match the garden. If your budget allows, buy a sterling silver frame. Make sure the back of the frame has what is needed, an easel back or hanging ring, to display it properly.
Silver photograph frame, baroque style, relief decoration, entwined flowers, figures of people and animals, green velvet back, marked “W.C.,” England, 7 1/4 x 5 1/4 in., $100.Photo by Antique Arena Inc.
Vase — On Mother’s Day, bring your mother a vintage vase full of cut flowers. The vase can be modern or traditional. An undecorated vase is better for mixed flowers and a decorated vase can hold just leaves or branches as well as flowers. Don’t forget to cut the stems and put them in a glass of water for a short time to “cure” them before you put them in the vase. They will last longer. Don’t forget to put water in the vase, too!
Kosta Boda Tulip vase, hand painted glass, marked Kosta Boda, signed Ulrica Hydman, 8 in., $54. Photo by District Auction.
Midcentury modern art glass vase, iridescent blue shaded to silver, 9 1/2 in., $38.Photo: Donny Malone Auctions
Or, best of all, treat your mother to a special Mother’s Day gift that she can use year-round: a subscription to Kovels.com where she can learn more about her treasures and keep up with collecting news. Use our special Mother’s Day coupon MOM10 to save $10 on the annual subscription.
Quality Vintage Costume Jewelry
Eisenberg costume jewelry is known for its workmanship and designs. Eisenberg Jewelry Inc. was started in 1940 after Eisenberg & Sons had spent years making dresses. A recent Ripley auction in Indianapolis had 284 lots of Eisenberg jewelry. Prices ranged from $75 for a green onyx brooch to $4,500 for a mid-1940s sterling vermeil mermaid […]
