Who knew a zipper could be high fashion? At least, it is when it’s made of 18K white gold and 13.50 carats of diamonds! It sold for $18,450 at Morphy Auctions of Denver, Pennsylvania. It is really a necklace, not a zipper, although the pull is functional. It is described as “Cartier-style.”
Cartier jewelry became popular in the mid-20th century with retro modern style. Their famous articulated leopard pin appeared in 1947. The company is still known for its stylish, expensive diamond jewelry.
Jewelers created more experimental designs in the 20th century. Some were sculptural and artistic; some were adventurous and humorous. The playful quality of this necklace, which reimagines an ordinary object, fits the spirit of the time.
Q: My parents received an oval-shaped, 3-inch-long Waterford desk clock in 1990. The clock face is removable and is the size of a watch timepiece. My mom recently gave it to me, along with several other pieces of Waterford that she’s collected over the years. The price tag from Garfinkel’s department store is still on the bottom, and it reads $89. What is it worth today?
A: George and William Penrose established the Waterford Glass House in Waterford City, Ireland, on October 3, 1783. The factory made useful and ornamental flint glass with “as fine a quality as any in Europe.” In 1785, glassmaker John Hill was hired, bringing a technique to polish the glass after cutting, removing the “frosted” appearance. This became one of Waterford’s key signatures. Hundreds of years later, in January 2010, WWRD Group Holdings Limited (owners of Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton) opened a new Waterford Crystal manufacturing facility and retail outlet in Waterford. In July 2015, Fiskars Corporation bought WWRD. Unfortunately, your mother’s Waterford, while gorgeous, is not gaining in value. We saw that exact same mantel clock selling for $34 in a consignment store recently. But you can still enjoy the memories it brings!
Q: After a year of entertaining at home, I suddenly have the desire for more formal and patterned dinnerware. I inherited a Wedgwood set of eight dishes from an elderly aunt. I think the pattern is called Napoleon Ivy. Can you tell me a little about it?
A: Wedgwood is one of the most famous English pottery factories. It was founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood, known as the “Father of English Potters.” He was the youngest of 12 children, born in Burslem, Staffordshire, and apprenticed as a potter before setting up his own business. Dinnerware in the Napoleon Ivy pattern has been a favorite since it was first made (for Napoleon Bonaparte) in 1815. Wedgwood retired the pattern in 2003. It has a cream-colored background, and a border of realistic ivy ranging from dark to light shades of green. A set of 15 pieces sold for about $125 at a recent auction. Individual pieces sell online for anywhere from $10 to over $100, depending on the type of dish. You have inherited a great set of dinnerware. Enjoy it.
Q: While cleaning out my parents’ basement, I found a rusty tin tray with a Coca-Cola logo and a girl dressed in clothes that look like they were from the early 1900s. How can I tell if it is real or a reproduction?
A: Coca-Cola, a soft drink created in 1886 at an Atlanta soda fountain, is recognizable as a brand worldwide. The company’s iconic script logo, trademarked in 1893, was put on bottles, trays, calendars, signs, toys, lamps and other items that frequently can be found in shops and sales. The nickname “Coke” was first used in 1941 and was registered in 1945. The Coca-Cola Company began making tin serving and change trays in 1897. Trays produced up to 1968 are considered the classic Coca-Cola trays. At first, all the trays were round, generally measuring between 9 and 10 inches across. Soon, oval trays began to appear, and in 1910, the rectangular tray was introduced. It measured 13¼ inches wide by 10½ inches high, which soon became the standard size for Coke serving trays. Round trays disappeared after 1905. Most of these early tin trays had brown color schemes with green and brown borders. In the late 1920s, more trays featured the red color scheme identified with the Coke brand. Trays are known for their images of beautiful women, which were often the same as those featured in Coke calendars, signs and other advertising materials from the year before or after.
TIP: Don’t use a repaired plate for food. It could be a health hazard.
On the block
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Advertising tin, tobacco, Prince Albert, Crimp Cut, Long Burning Cigarette & Pipe Tobacco, red ground, yellow and white letters, black and white image of Prince Albert in an oval frame, back with Process Patented July 30th, 1907, R.J. Reynolds Company, Winston-Salem, N.C., 4¼ by 3 inches, $25.
Porcelain crane figurine, standing among long pierced leaves, white, pale blue, marked, Royal Copenhagen, 1960s, 10¾ inches, $185.
Game, Monopoly, board, money, original wooden pawns, houses, hotels, box, instructions, Parker Bros., 1935-1946, $250.
Silver-plate service plates, set of four, Rubans pattern, banded center and rim, Christofle, Paris, 12 inches, $435.
Furniture, window seat, Louis XV style, painted wood frame, cushioned seat, padded upright ends with floral carving, peg feet, 35 by 47 by 21 inches, $510.
Jewelry, ring, four club shapes, lapis petal, three-sided stems with diamonds, 14K white gold, 1970s, size 5, $675.
Pair of brass andirons, Classical Revival, Corinthian column standard decorated with rampant lions, reeded ball finials, cabriole legs, paw feet, cast-iron billet bars, circa 1900, 33 by 12 inches, pair, $870.
Fulper pottery doorstop, dog, Bum the Pup, shaded brown glaze, John Kunsman, 1912, 8 by 6 by 10 inches, $1,250.
Tiffany desk set, Zodiac pattern, bronze, wood, paper and letter racks, calendar, blotter ends, stamp box, paperweight, rocker blotter, cigarette box, all marked “Tiffany Studios,” circa 1906, 12 pieces, $2,470.
Furniture, table, dining, Gio Ponti, Model 2135, Italian walnut, brass, round, Singer & Sons, Italy, circa 1950, 29 by 48 inches, $3,640.
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