Gold Compacts
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century French Boxes and Cases
Ruby, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanity Items
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1960s French Retro Vanity Items
18k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1940s Boxes and Cases
Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Retro Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1940s French Vanity Items
Ruby, Rose Gold, Silver
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Carnelian, Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Retro Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Vanity Items
Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Vanity Items
Jade, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modernist Vanity Items
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Jade, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
20th Century French Vanity Items
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modern Boxes and Cases
14k Gold
20th Century Vanity Items
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
Vintage 1980s Italian Vanity Items
Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modernist Vanity Items
Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Vanity Items
Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Vanity Items
14k Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Spinel, Silver, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Modernist Vanity Items
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Antique Mid-19th Century Unknown Victorian Vanity Items
Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1940s American Modernist Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s British Post-War Vanity Items
Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Emerald, Silver, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1910s American Vanity Items
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Swiss Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Vanity Items
Vintage 1970s Japanese Modernist Vanity Items
Gold Plate
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Enamel Frames and Objects
Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Silver, Enamel, Gold
Mid-20th Century Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
French Vanity Items
20th Century Italian Vanity Items
18k Gold
20th Century French Vanity Items
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Rose Gold, Silver
Vintage 1940s French Contemporary Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Vanity Items
Yellow Gold
American Vanity Items
Diamond, Platinum, 14k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Boxes and Cases
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Vanity Items
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, White Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Retro Vanity Items
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s French Vanity Items
Sterling Silver, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Vanity Items
18k Gold
Early 20th Century European Vanity Items
Vermeil, Silver, Enamel
Vintage 1940s American Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
Vintage 1940s American Boxes and Cases
Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1910s American Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 14k Gold, Platinum
- 1
Gold Compacts For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Gold Compacts?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
Read More
How to Identify Real Capodimonte Porcelain
Early examples by the Italian manufacturer can be hard to come by, but the best later pieces possess the same over-the-top charm.
Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition
Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.