Jan Arenhill

Sterling silver cigarette case. Not monogrammed. Weight is 217 grams  

Gorham Art Nouveau sterling buckle, 1902. Marks for Gorham Sterling and B1949 copyrighted with 1902 (year). Beautiful open floral nouveau whiplash des...

Playful true-to-life silver rhinoceros that serves as a lighter other than being a decorative artwork in its own right. Expertly handcrafted by the F...

Mid-Century Modern sterling bracelet, Designed by Antonio Belgiorno, Italian / Argentine, 1950s Out Diameter is 7.5 cm (around 3"), interior diameter is 5.5 cm ( a little larger tham...

Hand-hammered silver necklace or sculpture by Jacques Jarrige. Jarrige's jewelry is more companion than ornament, heightening one's physical awareness and bestowing the pleasure o...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique 18th century Irish sterling silver cup; an addition to our 17th century silverware collection This e...

A fine and impressive pair of vintage Italian sterling silver table ornaments realistically modelled in the form of cars; an addition to...

This modernist sculptural piece is one of Wiener's first creations as a jeweler-artist, in New York City, circa 1954.This cuff bracelet is composed of two simple aerodynamic pieces w...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, rare, antique English sterling silver Torah breastplate; an addition to our Judaica silverware collection. Th...

A highly sculptural sterling silver necklace by Peruvian silversmith and designer Grazielle Laffi (1923-2009), Lima, circa 1970. Marks to ne...

The lid and underside showing a fine engine-turned surface, the hinged lid decorated with a foliate cast border opening to a richly gilded interior housing an exceptionally fine hand-pierced & foliate engraved hinged grille. The interior bearing impressed Birmingham hallmark, date mark for 1835 & makers marks for Joseph Willmore...

A bespoken sterling silver chocker necklace very bold design by Graziella Laffi (1923-2009), Lima, Peru, circa 1970s. The chocker features six subtly hammered roundels radiating into a trio of Axe-shaped fixed pendants, with two smaller ones flanking a large central one. The shape of the axe was often found in the Pre-Columbian art. As a bronze age tool, it symbolizes power. The necklace is not chain link but cast and joined as a solid chocker with box clasp mechanism. The design radiates a sense of history with the primitive tribal geometry in form, yet the necklace appears beyond ethnic, it exuberates a confident and bold modernistic aesthetic. The drop of the necklace on the mannequin (not included) is 11". It has an approximate 16" circumference and weighs 320 grams (10.3 troy ounces). It was tested as 900 purity with XRF analyzer. There is a Peruvian Cultural Ministry label applied and a catalog sticker on verso as shown. Graziella Laffi was born in 1923 in Florence, Italy to Gino Laffi, a silversmith and artist. Following her family tradition, Graziella enrolled in master classes after elementary school, focusing on design and painting. She next attended Escuela de Bellas Artes de Puerta Romana for three years, where Gino taught, and then to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, where she concentrated in architecture until the start of World War II. In 1947, Graziella, then twenty-four, immigrated with her parents to Peru. Gino later created a silversmith studio and showroom called Fabrica Laffi on Avenue Mexico, where Graziella initially learned her Craft. The Pre-Columbian culture in her adopted country inspired Graziella to travel and collect, which ultimately influence her design in the silver pieces. Graziella learned the metalworking techniques of the ancient Peruvian civilizations and rejected the current technology. She mostly used hammering, rolling and creating joints as the ancients do. As an ambassador of Peruvian culture, her work promoted the indigenous Peruvian art and rekindled the interest in its ancient heritage throughout South America, the United States and Europe. She exhibited her growing collection of Peruvian artifacts...