Texas Collectible Jewelry

A stunning rare vintage Haute Couture bib necklace attributed to Maison Gripoix for Chanel. Made with Pate de Verre, a process perfected by famous French Atelier Augustine Gripoix in...

PRESENTING an EXTREMELY UNIQUE and RARE 19C British Tunbridgeware Hair Pin/Bobbin or Slide. This slide is unlike any of it’s kind we have seen before, it is a VERY RARE survivor. From circa 1860 – 80 and made in Tunbridge Wells, England. Made of walnut with gorgeous marquetry inlay on the entirety of the front with classic Tunbridgeware micro-mosaic all over the front. The rear is walnut. The marquetry inlay appears to be various different woods, namely, maple, walnut and satinwood. Would have been worn in a Lady’s hair bun with the micro-mosaic facing forward. This would have belonged to a VERY ELEGANT LADY in the mid to late 19th Century. Tunbridge ware is a form of decoratively inlaid woodwork, typically in the form of boxes, that is characteristic of Tonbridge and the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent in the 18th and 19th centuries. The decoration typically consists of a mosaic of many very small pieces of different coloured woods that form a pictorial vignette. Shaped rods and slivers of wood were first carefully glued together, then cut into many thin slices of identical pictorial veneer with a fine saw. Elaborately striped and feathered bandings for framing were pre-formed in a similar fashion. There is a collection of Tunbridge ware in the Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery in Tunbridge Wells. The famous makers of Tunbridge ware were in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent; their most notable work was from circa 1830-1900. Early makers of Tunbridge ware, in Tunbridge Wells in the mid-18th century, were the Burrows family, and Fenner and Co. In the 19th century, around 1830, James Burrows invented a technique of creating mosaics from wooden tesserae. Henry Hollamby, apprenticed to the Burrows family, set up on his own in 1842 and became an important manufacturer of Tunbridge ware, employing about 40 people. Edmund Nye (1797–1863) and his father took over the Fenner company when William Fenner retired in 1840, after 30 years in partnership with him. Thomas Barton (1819–1903), previously apprenticed at the Wise factory, joined the Nyes in 1836, and worked as Nye’s designer; he took over the business in 1863 and continued there until his death. In Tonbridge (near to Tunbridge Wells), George Wise (1703–1779) is known to have had a business in 1746. It continued with his son Thomas, and Thomas’s nephew George (1779–1869), who took over in 1806. In its early years the company made articles such as workboxes and tea caddies with prints of popular views; later items had pictures created from mosaics. Their workshop in Tonbridge, Wise’s Tunbridge Ware Manufactory, was next to the Big Bridge over the Medway; the building was demolished in 1886 to widen the approach to the bridge. Tunbridge ware became popular with visitors to the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, who bought them as souvenirs and gifts. Articles included cribbage boards, paperweights, writing slopes, snuffboxes and glove boxes. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, Tunbridge ware by Edmund Nye, Robert Russell and Henry Hollamby was shown; Edmund Nye received a commendation from the judges for his work. He exhibited a table depicting a mosaic of a ship at sea; 110,800 tesserae were used in making the picture. The manufacturers of Tunbridge ware were cottage industries, and they were no more than nine in Tunbridge Wells and one in Tonbridge. The number declined in the 1880s; competent craftsmen were hard to find, and public tastes changed. After the death of Thomas Barton in 1903 the only surviving firm was Boyce, Brown and Kemp, which closed in 1927. Marquetry was an old technique which was continued by Nye and Barton to create images such as birds or butterflies. ‘Green Oak’ as caused by the fungus Chlorociboria aeruginascens. Stickware and half-square mosaic was invented by James Burrows in about 1830: a bunch of wooden sticks of different colours, each having triangular or diamond-shaped cross section, were tightly glued together; in the case of stickware, the resulting block was dried, then turned to form an article such as the base of a pincushion. For half-square mosaic, thin slices were taken from the composite block, and applied to a surface. Tesselated mosaic, was a development by James Burrows of half-square mosaic; it was adopted by George Wise and Edmund Nye. Minute tesserae were used to form a wide variety of geometric and pictorial designs. Many sorts of wood were used for the various colours; about 40 were in regular use. Only natural colors were used; green was provided by “green oak”, produced by the action of fungus on fallen oak. Designs for articles were often taken from designs of Berlin wool work.

A large and impressive solid high karat gold cuff from the Dian Kingdom, circa 2nd century BC, modern day Yunnan Province, China. . This striking cuff is crafted from hand hammered ...

This necklace is a stunning creation of Richard Begay. It's made of lapis lazuli and sterling silver. The necklace itself is made of lapis lazuli beads that terminate into a sterling...

This authentic Barry Kieselstein-Cord bracelet is finely crafted from 18k yellow gold featuring an intricate and detailed 3D sculpted full figure alligator, from the larger part with...

This is a beautiful bolo tie. It's made of braided leather and sterling silver with s turquoise and abalone setting in the medallion.. The abalone is shaped like an arrowhead piercin...

English Sterling & Enamel Flower Necklace, London, 1978 A beautiful English sterling silver and enamel flower necklace, made in London in 1978....

A vintage Peruvian silver crown with three colored crystals in green, red and pink. Peru marked silver. The interior for head is 3" diameter.

A large vintage silver crown. From Peru with silver stamped maker's mark and silver 925. Interior circle is six inches in diameter.

A cameo grouping of three identical women with different headwear carved into three colors, one metal cameo, and one cameo of a woman with tiara, facing le...

14k and faceted amethyst bracelet. Designed for a larger wrist, this sparkly genuine gemstone bracelet has been custom created by a jeweler with functional hinges that help the piece...

This is a beautiful bolo tie. It's made of braided leather with a sterling silver medallion that has a turquoise and a coral setting. The tips are crafted in silver also. Great for ...

Pewter Bolo Tie 1.75”w 2.250h

These highly lacquered items come from Russia. They're hand painted. The inside of the tinker box is a beautiful orange lacquer. The pin is stamped made in Russia. Pin size is 2.5'

This is a beautiful bolo tie. It's made of braided leather and sterling silver and has a beautiful piece of marbled agate as the setting of the medallion..The tips are crafted in sil...

Dress a vanity, dressing table, or étagère with this elegant antique French accessory set, featuring a 19th-century horn mosaic box paired with an embroidered ribbon pearl necklace. ...

This is a beautiful bolo tie. It's made of braided leather and sterling silver with a blue opal medallion setting. design. The opal is surrounded by 2 leaves.. The tips are crafted i...

This is a beautiful bolo tie. It's made of braided leather with a sterling silver medallion with a turquoise setting. The tips are crafted in silver also. Great for a night out on t...

This Bolo Tie is made of leather and sterling silver. It has a Charoite setting in a beaded clam shaped shell.

These are worry beads. The beads are red and the metal work is sterling silver.

This elegant pair of antique French purses, crafted circa 1880, captures the delicate refinement of the Belle Époque period. Both are fashioned from fine black fabric and beautifully...

This is a Native American crafted bolo toe. It has a leather strap with sterling silver and turquoise tips. The centerpiece is sterling silver with 7 turquoise settings.

This spoon is made of sterling silver. It has a Native American figure cast on the handle. It's the complete figure being the front and back. The well of the spoon has the Statue of ...

This is a beautiful compact. It's called America the Beautiful. It bears the American flag and is encrusted with rhinestones to give the piece an obstentacious look. Compact is like...

This is a beautiful pendant. It's made of sterling silver and has a beautiful piece of Zoisite as it's setting. The pendant has a beaded sterling edge. The Zoisite is purple with a g...