We had a wonderful show in Palm Beach and were pleased to see many of you.
UPCOMING SHOWS
Los Angeles Antiques Show: April 21-25, Barker Hanger, Santa Monica
Opening Gala is Wednesday April 21, 7pm-10pm
Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair: April 30-May 3, Chicago
Opening Gala is Thursday April 29, 5pm-9pm
We do not have a lot of iconic Angela Cummings pieces now but we often buy them. She was born in Klagenfurt, Austria in 1944 and came to America when she was 3. She went back to Europe for her education studying at the Art Academie in Perugia, Italy and the Zeicheinacademe in Hanau, West Germany.
She came back to America and started at Tiffany in 1967 but didn't have jewelry under her own name until 1975. In 1984 she left to do her own line, selling primarily at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. She closed her business in the spring of 2003 when sales had actually increased in the prior year. She said she wanted to spend more time in Utah where she was building a house. She wanted to work in silver and do tabletop which she couldn't do at Tiffany. She has continued to sell silver on QVC.
Angela Cummings jewelry is generally based on nature, i.e. gingko leaves, spider webs, shells, feathers, sea life and occasionally geometrics. The story goes that her famous rose petal earrings and necklace were developed after she accidentally crushed a rose she was holding in her hand. She was known for her use of color and for mixing platinum gold, and silver with unusual materials such as wood. She loved opals. Elsa Klensch, the style maven, often wrote about her and stressed that her jewelry was beautiful and comfortable.
- [26S141] An 18k yellow gold necklace with matching earrings designed as fish scales. Circa 1989.
- [26N140] A long blue gate bead necklace with a sterling silver center bead and clasp, approx. 36" long.
- [26N287] A turquoise bead necklace with an 18k textured gold ball clasp.
- [26N286] A hematite bead necklace with an 18k gold interlocking circle clasp.
All of these earrings are "very" Angela Cummings:
- [26E040] A pair of 18k yellow gold and black onyx rounded triangle earrings.
- [26E012] A pair of 18k yellow gold and lapis lazuli woven earrings.
- [26E137] A pair of 18k yellow gold earrings with inlaid mother-of-pearl.
- [26A254] An 18k yellow gold, rosewood bangle bracelet by Angela Cummings for Tiffany. Circa 1977. We wanted to do a "wood" section so we put this Angela Cummings here. This bracelet is very typical of her work.
- [18E442] A pair of 18k yellow gold and wood earrings in the “shrimp” style.
Summer is coming and nothing looks better than coral.
- [26N258] A rough coral and 18k yellow gold beaded necklace, approx. 54" long with a toggle clasp. This can be worn long or short.
- [24N684] A coral necklace composed of five strands of graduated coral beads with a 14k gold bar clasp.
- [22A576] An 18k yellow gold bracelet composed of three strands of polished coral beads completed with a turquoise cabochon clasp.
This necklace was made from two types of aqua beads (lighter in front) and 12 Etruscan style beads and an 18k gold clasp. We made up one for the Palm Beach Show, it sold, and we had just enough for one more.
Necklaces are in, and these are two wonderful ones:
- [26N155] An 18k rose gold necklace from the 1940's, designed with honeycomb sections, which may be added or removed to make a shorter necklace or a pair of bracelets.
- [26N283] An 18k yellow gold necklace composed of large oval polished and fluted links.
Two great bracelets to wear all the time:
- [26A364] A 14k yellow and rose gold retro bracelet composed of alternating rows of triangular and curved shaped links.
- [12A675] An 18k rose gold French bracelet from the 1940's composed of geometric links.
We bought some things recently from an incredibly chic woman and we have photographed three earrings here. Some very special Van Cleef & Arpels gold and
diamond ones, a great pair of Zolotas gold ones, and a gold and sapphire swirl pair. Please call us for prices.
- [24E322] A pair of 14k yellow gold and shell earrings, studded with emerald cabochons, diamonds, and sugarloaf gold beads by Trianon.
- [23E286] A pair of 18k yellow and white gold and citrine pyramid earrings by Bulgari.
All of these big rings were chosen for inclusion by Noel. We see lots of interest in big rings by the magazines and the younger customer.
- [25R252] A 14k yellow gold and an emerald cut citrine ring in a ribbed gold mounting.
- [26R399] A 14k yellow gold and large emerald cut madeira citrine ring.
- [26R372] An 18k yellow gold, diamond and marquise shaped smoky quartz ring.
- [26R999] A 14k yellow gold and emerald cut lemon citrine ring.
- [25E938] A pair of 18k yellow gold earrings designed with a textured cross hatch pattern by Asprey.
- [25A958] An 18k yellow gold bangle bracelet designed with a textured cross hatch pattern by Asprey.
PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR PRICING DETAILS
I was so lucky. I was in Nashville for the Vanderbilt board meeting and got a ticket to see the men's basketball game against Georgia. I took my little rented scooter and sat right on the floor with people in wheelchairs It was a fabulous seat and nearly had a breakdown before we finally won in overtime. Then we beat Arkansas on the weekend. Tuesday night we played Florida in Gainesville and it was on ESPN. I watched on Jean's great big TV and we won a very close thriller. Alas we lost the last game to South Carolina.
As a longtime devotee of Patou's Joy and Sublime, I wasn't in the market for a new perfume. I scooted down to Barneys cosmetics for some exfoliant (got Shiseido and quite like it). As I got off the elevator, I got way laid at Barney's private parfumerie and bought a delicious new scent Labdanum 18. I love it and get comments all the time. It doesn't smell like anything I can describe.
I stopped in at CVS on the way back from the flea market Sunday and discovered a wonderful new product that I used this morning. It is morning burst by Clean and Clear and is a facial scrub for $7.39 vs over $100 I'd been paying for my favorite one from Sisley. This was packaged with a small eye makeup remover, perfect for travel. I think this is an important discovery.
I finally read The Private Patient by P.D. James. I bought it in 2008 when it came out but then I lost it in my apartment and refused to buy another one as I knew I had it. Found it and took on the Palm Beach trip. I loved it. An investigative journalist books an appointment with a famous plastic surgeon to have a facial scar removed at his clinic in a grand old estate outside London. After the operation she is found dead, murdered, in her room. While you may have already read this, if you haven't, do so, as it's a doozy.
I finished Redemption by the Norwegian Jo Nesbo in Palm Beach and it was wonderful to connect with my friend Harry Hole again. This time, one of a set of twins high up in the Salvation Army is killed. Who dreamed there could be so much intrigue in the Salvation Army. This book is a terrific end to the series, which begins with Redbreast and I urge you to read these. If you liked the Steig Larsen books, you will love these.
I was first in line on Amazon to get Henning Mankell's new book, The Man From Beijing. This is a standalone book and does not feature Wallander. I quite liked it but more about that later. What is interesting to me is that it was reviewed in the regular section of the NY Times, not the crime section, and this week for the first time in his long career (30 million books worldwide and 40 languages) he made the NY Times bestseller list in his first week at #6. For the first time ever, there are two Swedes on the list with The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson at #11. I feel vindicated. The Times reviewer liked Mankell's new one but she thought it was too political. I don't. There is a horrific mass murder in an obscure Swedish village and it turns out that one household were the foster grandparents of a Swedish judge who then gets involved and goes to China and gets further involved. The novel jumps to Africa where China is becoming a partner in various ventures and I found it fascinating. Mystery solved in the end with an interesting twist. This is a good read.
I have a new book to recommend and it is not a mystery, Majpr Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. This is her first novel and it is delicious. She was born in a small English village and has lived in America for the past 20 years. Major Pettigrew is a widower in a small English village and the story traces all the complications that arise when he becomes interested in the Pakistani widow who runs the local shop and shares his interest in Kipling. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.
Robert (212.299.7730) at the Museum of Art and Design at 2 Columbus Circle, just go across 59th Street and you will run into the museum. My friend David Adler told me about the restaurant and then the NY Times reviewed it. It is on the 9th floor and has a fabulous unobstructed view, lovely food and superb thoughtful service. Open for lunch, tea and dinner, you can go to the web site for the menu, American with a Mediterranean influence. This is a wonderful new addition to dining in this area.
I was taken to Danny Meyer's latest restaurant Maialino this week, located at 2 Lexington Avenue in the Gramercy Park Hotel (212.777.2410). It is billed as a Tuscan brasserie and a specialty is roast suckling pig to be shared. It is spectacular with crispy skin and calories, I don't want to think about. I had a Dandelion Salad also that was delicious. The bar scene is very active; this is a happening place and the noise level is not conducive to long intimate talks, but you can talk another time.
In my quest to see as many nominated movies as possible before the Academy Awards, I went to see The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the ex-wife of James Cameron, the director of Avatar. It swept the BAFTAs, the British Academy Awards, last night garnering Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. I was riveted by this movie, although she, like her ex-husband, could learn to make them a little shorter. We get the point already. The story follows a bomb technician and his team in Iraq as they disarm bombs left by the enemy. All three soldiers are wonderfully cast and the lead technician reminds me of Daniel Craig, whom I first saw in a B British crime movie before he was chosen as the next James Bond. I said at the time that this young actor was an up-and-comer and I feel the same way about Jeremy Renner. The actor who played his no. 2 was also very good. This movie shows the horrors of war and the inevitable change in the young men who serve. This is a serious contender.
In my continuing quest to see as many nominated movies as possible, I saw A Single Man directed by Tom Ford and it is absolutely exquisite. It is not really amazing that he could be such a talented designer and also make such a special movie on his first try. Colin Firth is splendid in the lead, he won the BAFTA, British Oscar, for Best Actor and everyone else in the cast is excellent. This is not just a gay love story; it is a love story for anyone that just takes your breath away.
I also saw Precious and didn't love it. It was so depressing and the language was terrible. Mo'Nique was terrifc.
The new exhibit, Portable Treasuries, ethnic silver jewelry, from David and Serga Nadler at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) is terrific and worth a visit. It is at 2 Columbus Circle and open every day except Monday, late on Thursday. While we don't normally buy much silver, we have had Angela Cummings recently and just bought some Spratling. This jewelry comes from Egypt, Morrocco, India, China, Vietnam, Myanmar etc and I think it is a paradise for contemporary jewelry designers. To me, one of the most interesting things is that the jewelry often had other uses besides decoration. In the Afghanistan exhibit at the Met I loved the traveling crown since the Afghans were nomads the could pack it up at the drop of a crown. Here in China there are three lovely silver hair pins with little opium spoons on the ends so you could unpin your hair and take your dope. Also many neckpieces had utilitarian items hanging from them like ear picks and tweezers.
Jewelry was a store of wealth. Just like today people went in debt for weddings as it was necessary for the bride to wear a lot of jewelry and the groom's family often gave the dowry to help finance this. A bridal set might weigh 13 to 20 lbs and cost a year's wages. However the practice of renting jewelry arose. Also if the Indian man took another wife and decided to divorce one of his previous wives, she got to keep her jewelry. One interesting fact was that in North Africa, much of the jewelry was made by Jewish artisans before they were forced to leave. One sees a bit of leather cotton string amber coral and ivory, I particularly liked an ivory cuff that was dyed red with henna. Indian women also fancied glass beads in lots of colors for their weddings. I've only touched on the highlights but this is an exhibit worth seeing call at 212.229.7777. Before or afterward, you can dine at Robert on the 9th floor (see "To Dine").
There is a lovely book with the exhibition called Silver: From Fetish to Fashion by David and Serga Nadler. Warning, it is very very heavy like some of the jewelry.
Our travel agent, VIP Tours (212.980.2000), is superb, particularly Debbie who handles us. For Palm Beach we were supposed to leave on Wednesday and all flights were cancelled. She got us out on Thursday, Noel at noon, Ashley at 4 and me at 8. All the flights were jam-packed. This is just one example of the miracles Debbie pulls. Nancy and Loly (the big boss) are terriffic also. Tell her we sent you.
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