The Silver Antiques Insider

Ring In The New Year With Antique Masterpieces from Nelson and Nelson

We're in the thick of the holiday season, and if you're looking for particular inspiration to welcome in 2012, we suggest you explore the fine silver antiques from the collection of Nelson and Nelson. Here's to a happy and healthy New Year to you and your family!

Turn your New Year's Eve supper into a exceptionally special occasion with this magnificent museum-quality sterling silver bowl, made circa 1884 by Whiting Manufacturing Co. It is superbly decorated with a fabulous repousse design of sea shells in the Aesthetic style. The assorted shells include a variety of scallops, clam-shells and oysters and have been artfully set against a background of seaweed and organic marine motifs. The hallmarked bowl is in excellent, pristine condition; the silver has a lovely soft and pleasing patina and the truly exceptional workmanship of the repousse work is clean and crisp with wonderful definition on all the decorative elements. For more information on this unique, one of a kind piece that is a "must-have" for any connoisseur of fine quality silver, click here.

Toast 2012 with this beautiful set of twelve sterling silver goblets in a wonderful Victorian design by the premier American silversmiths at Gorham, circa 1917. Each goblet stands on a circular, trumpet-shaped base and has a large, rounded cup. The base and cup have been elaborately chased and repoussed with grape clusters, vines, and leaves in high relief, rendered with various textures. The decoration frames a cartouche engraved with the initials TWR. The dynamic and exuberant decoration on this goblet resembles the Baltimore silver of Kirk & Sons and demonstrates the tremendous skill of the Gorham silversmiths. For more information, click here.

What's a party without a proper martini? This impressive late-19th-century Chinese silver cocktail shaker is chased and engraved with an allover genre scene on a stippled background. The lid is cork lined and the spout has a screw-off cover attached to the spout with a collar and chain. The shaker is hallmarked on the underside of the base with “C.J.”, sterling and a Chinese character mark. For more information on this true statement piece, which would be a focal point in any dining room or library, click here.

Last-Minute Antique Gift Ideas

Christmas is around the corner, and if you haven't already checked all of the names off your holiday shopping list, or you're still looking for the perfect present, Nelson and Nelson has some unique and beautiful gift ideas for everyone. To make it even better, we're currently offering 25% every item under $10,000 and 30% off every item over $10,000 during our holiday sale. From our family to yours, have a wonderful holiday season!

This stunning English Art Deco sterling silver picture frame is decorated with an intricate engine-turned design and features a beautiful tortoise shell mount on the interior border. The back of the picture frame features the original mahogany mount and easel. For more information, click here. 

 

Four large irises overlap scrolls of silver on this large Art Nouveau perfume bottle, made circa 1900. The bottle is lobed at the base and the silver is beautifully applied. The bottle is in perfect condition and features the monogram ELM. For more information, click here.

 

This circa 1920 silver elephant has a turned up trunk which means good luck. The body of the piece is textured to evoke the hide of a real elephant. Made circa 1920, it is in excellent condition and weighs a substanial 8 ounces. For more information, click here. 

Happy Hanukkah From Nelson And Nelson!

Happy Hanukkah from Nelson and Nelson! If you love the classic books from Maurice Sendak, you're familiar with the affectionate, learned stories and beautiful aesthetics of his work. And did you know that the author of the seminal "Where the Wild Things Are" is also an excellent arbiter of taste? This slideshow from the L.A. Times highlights gorgeous menorahs from the 18th century to modern times selected by Sendak, and as collectors and sellers of fine art objects, we're fascinated by the insights he offers. And here at Nelson and Nelson, we also have some beautiful Judaica for your enjoyment!

This is a lovely sterling silver menorah that was made in Israel in the 1960s. It is designed entirely with hand-worked sterling silver filigree and features 8 sconces for oil or larger candles. The menorah, which retains its original patina and is in very good condition, is hallmarked on the underside of the base with "Israel" and "925." For more information, click here. 

The Fascinating History Of Sterling Silver Forks

“The fork has now become the favorite and fashionable utensil for conveying food to the mouth. First it crowded out the knife, and now in its pride it has invaded the domain of the once powerful spoon. The spoon is now pretty well subdued also, and the fork, insolent and triumphant, has become a sumptuary tyrant."

This quote is from a surprisingly fascinating history of the fork, which is an item frequently featured in Nelson and Nelson's fine selection of antique sterling silver flatware. It wasn't until the 19th century that forks enjoyed general acceptance in the West, and Victorians, with their general predisposition to excess in etiquette, quickly developed a fork for every dining stuff, from shellfish to salads and pastries. Here's an excellent rule of thumb when it comes to forks:

Forks with long tapered tines (dinner forks) are used for spearing thick morsel of food, such as proteins. Forks with a wider left time and an optional notch (salad fork, fish fork, dessert fork and pastry fork), provide extra leverage when cutting foods that do not require a knife. Forks with curved tines (oyster fork) are made to follow the shape of the shell.

While Wikipedia lists no less than 30 different kinds of forks, we offer a more carefully curated flatware selection, including these beautiful examples of forks:

This unique set of 12 Gorham terrapin forks, circa 1900, features sharp tines for spearing firm meat in turtle soup. broth. The forks are in very good condition and weigh in at a heavy 12.5 troy ouces. Eight of the 12 bowls are slightly gilded (4 are not), and all are marked on the back with the Gorham hallmark and sterling. For more information, click here. 

 

This set of 10 Gorham ice cream forks features a highly decorative Rococo pattern, with intricate flowers, leaves and scrolls. Each fork depicts a woman on the top of the front of each handle. Made circa 1900, the set is in excellent condition and weighs 6.5 ounces. For more information, click here. 

Antique Jewelry Makes A Stunning Investment

Unfortunately, to say that the global economy has been rather shaky lately would be, ahem, an understatement. Fortunately, according to The Financial Times, there still is a safe investment option out there--antique jewelry: 

Investing in gold or silver jewellery not only benefits from the price of the precious metal going up, but it also appreciates with age and rarity, so you can make double the gains compared with just holding gold or silver bullion. Additionally, since inventory is fixed and often in short supply, finding that one-of-a-kind piece could make a savvy investor a lot of money.

According to Francois Curiel, international head of jewellery at Christie’s auction house. the most sought-after pieces currently are from the Art Deco-period. If you're considering a smart investment, explore some of the exemplary Art Deco jewelry we offer at Nelson and Nelson. If you are interested in selling your antique jewelry, please contact us as well! 

 

This fabulous Art Deco platinum, enamel, and diamond clip, probably by William Scheer for Raymond Yard, was crafted circa 1930. The clip is designed as an enamel plaque with a flying duck, framed by platinum-set beads and channel-set diamond baguettes totaling approximately total 3.50 carats. While unsigned, this clip is documented on page 66 of Masterpieces of American Jewelry by Judith Price. For more information, click here. 

 

This elegant Art Deco platinum and diamond straight line bracelet, circa 1930, is composed of 42 prong-set box-form platinum sections, each holding a round diamond. The total weight of the 42 diamonds is approximately 4.0 carats. For more information, click here.