Clearing house... lots of jewellery :-/

Sadly I've been clearing my family home (dad's moved into care) and there's a LOT of stuff. I'm finding jewellery everywhere, tucked in drawers/tins/cupboards, and it's all mixed up. So I'm hoping you can perhaps give opinions about what might be worth keeping, and what's not? And possible age? I think some was inherited from my great grandparents. This little batch was rolling around in an old tupperware container with blue tack, drawing pins and bits of paper .

1. About 4.5cm width, no markings - metalware is rubbed, but the stones sparkle (glass?)

2. About 2.5cm tall, no markings, metalware rubbed - the tiny 'pearls' look fake and rubbed. Costume jewellery?

3. Was black when I found it! Looks like turquoise in silver? Modern or old? There's a mark on reverse that looks like an 'n'.

4. My favourite . Measures about 4cm, and has a hallmark - I can make out '15 .625 R'. Clasp is bent, petals are missing but it has a lot of charm...

5. About 4cm - Can't find a hallmark, but there's lettering that looks like GHT... or possibly GILT?

6. Love this one too. About 2.5cm across. I can't find any marks on this one either.

Any help/comments would be appreciated

 

1. Victorian "paste" and maybe sterling. 2. The center cameo looks real, but who knows about the setting. 3. Zuni needlepoint turquoise and silver, looks like. 4. Victorian era continental silver with a repaired back. No clue where it came from; I can't see enough of the marks. 5. no idea. Might be real, might be costume. 6. Guilloche/engine turned enamel center and??? I don't think the last two are gold, but you never know. It's all old regardless.

 

They all appear to be around 1900, and I think the first one and the last two may be gold, apart from the 15 carat one that is marked. I'd say the tourquoise and silver one is probably nearly as old as the others.

 

No. 4 is clearly marked as 15 carat.
The cameo is too out of focus to be sure.

 

So no.4 is gold? Sorry to sound stupid!

Unfortunately I don't have a macro lens at the moment - I'll see if I get a better photo in the daylight tomorrow (it's going dark now).

Thanks to you both... the age makes me think it was all my great-grandmother's as I suspected.

 

Quite a lot of British late 19th C Jewellery is unmarked, but it is usually pretty easy to tell if items are gold. The experienced eye and hand can sort out the items worth testing from the dross very quickly. 625 is the decimal proportion of 15 carat, so that one is a very typical mark, not used after about 1920 when 15 carat was abandoned. The design is clearly late Victorian.

The pendant (last item) and the tie pin are both items often found in unmarked gold.

 

Bats ,I'm sorry to hear of your Dad's condition....I hope the facility treats him well!

 

The cameo appears to be carved shell, but the carving is pretty rudimentary with few details. I think early 20th century, but might be more into the 1930s-1930s? And the clasp looks a little unusual when seen from above. Almost like two attached together?

And, I do like all of these pieces!

 

I know little about jewelry, but I KNEW folks here WOULD. Even I can see the pieces are very pretty, and old, and rich-looking. Best of luck to you and your dad.

 

Lovely pieces... I've always like pins.

This site has good photos and what I believe is good info on dating pins...
http://www.realorrepro.com/article/Dating-brooch-fasteners

 

You might find your silver's pin's "N" here...

http://www.art-amerindien.com/signature_indian_native_marks_mz.htm
or here... "Gene Natan"?

These might give you some price ideas.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331589271169

 

Thank you! Yes, I can see how similar it looks - I assume the mark on the back is the maker of this particular piece.

Thanks for all the information . Telling if the item is gold is where I fall down... my mum loved any shiny jewellery, regardless of quality. Looking through it is helping to train my eye though ;-).

Thank you . Poor dad has dementia. It's a lovely care home, but it's been a difficult few months and we're all having to readjust.

Glad you like them! I'll take better photos of the cameo tomorrow... I have another (bigger) one too, that I'm hoping to get some help with.

Really appreciate your good wishes, thank you .

The link is great, thanks! Lots of information on there that will help me with these pieces and others too.

 

Great site... I looked through all the letters, but at first glance didn't see anything similar... it looks like a lower case 'n' that has been scratched in, to me. But I could be looking at it the wrong way up!

 

As promised, more photos of item 2., the cameo:


I tried holding it up to the light, but I only have a wide angle lens at the moment and the photos weren't great. Hopefully these give you a better idea, though.

Here's the larger cameo I mentioned in a previous post:

7.
I can tell this one is old, but how old might it be? The metal has rubbed and come away at one side. Otherwise it looks in good condition. Could it be the image of some notable military person at the time? I can't find any marks on it.

Thanks for looking and for your insight!

 

Definitely some nice pieces here. I would want to check the stones on the first (red) brooch to confirm they are not something better than glass.

Best of luck to your family and your dad.

 

The type of backing for the second cameo is typically rolled gold (goldfilled), and they usually depict probably fanciful images of classical eminences such as Homer and Aristotle.

 

The cameo at number 7 is late 19th C or so. That long pin is a giveaway as is the tube hinge. You've some nice little bits, as af says. If you're in the UK, it would be worth contacting Tooveys the auctioneers. They have very good jewellery sales and are really helpful pleasant people to deal with.

 

The cameo of the man made me think "Robert E. Lee". Might be worth it to identify who the depiction is supposed to be. May increase the value quite a bit.

Good luck!

Juli

 

Nothing more to add, everyone has said pretty much what I would have said. Be sure to check the first pin as they may be Bohemian garnets. And Savvy is correct about the last cameo, if it's Lee then it would bring more. Nice lot !
So sorry about your Dad, this is never an easy thing to deal with.

 

My 1st thought was Gen. RE Lee also; however, the uniform, collar and lapel, soon discouraged that idea. Lee's uniform collar during the CW always is portrayed with 3 stars. Now if this was done by a European maker, they may have adlibed (artistic license) the uniform???
https://www.google.com/search?q=cam...649#hl=en-us&tbm=isch&q=robert+E.+Lee+profile

You no doubt already know, but if not, #4 is probably portraying the 3 Graces.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cam...649#hl=en-us&tbm=isch&q=carved+cameo+3+graces

--- Susan