WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.- A two-day, two-session auction featuring a warehouse clearance sale on Day 1 and fresh-to-the-market South Florida estate finds on Day 2 will be held on back-to-back days September 18th and 19th by Auction Life, mostly online but with limited live seating available in the gallery (an RSVP is required). Phone and absentee bids will be accepted.
Online bidding is facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com All lots can be viewed online now, on the Auction Life website. Visit
www.auctionlifeflorida.com.
The Wednesday, September 18th session, starting at 3 pm Eastern, is titled Out with the Old, In with the Old. Were cleaning out the warehouse to make room for more estate finds, said Tarek ElJabaly, owner and auctioneer of Auction Life, based in Loxahatchee. Bidders will find great deals on antiques, furniture, jewelry, art, porcelain, sculptures, art glass, crystal and more.
The Thursday, September 19th session, with a 5 pm Eastern start time, is nicknamed A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That. Day 2 will include the estate of a lifelong jeweler, Tarek said. In addition to that, the merchandise mix will be much the same as that in Day 1, only fresh to the market. The two auctions combined will total approximately 730 lots.
In a market full of modern jewelry, I always love working in vintage and antique jewelry pieces, Tarek observed. Aside from the fine hand-craftsmanship, they sure didn't hold back on materials back then. Some of the pieces in this sale are ridiculously heavy; one bracelet's 14k charms alone weigh 125 grams, while another 18k bracelet itself comes in at over 100 grams.
The charm bracelet he referred to is a massive, 14k gold custom perfume charm bracelet, with an estimate of $2,500-$5,000. The 10k two-tone, gold-filled, triple loop charm bracelet holds 17 individual 14k gold charm pendants, each one a lidded vessel for perfume or the like. As stated, the gold charms alone weigh just shy of 124.4 grams; overall, it has a total weight of 150 grams.
Perhaps even more impressive is a 22k gold wide cuff bracelet by the renowned designers Jean Mahie, made in 1982 and weighing 103.5 grams (est. $10,000-$20,000). The bracelet, signed and hallmarked, comes in a Neiman Marcus button suede pouch. Also, a unique 14k gold snake necklace and bracelet set having a stretchable accordion-style movement, should realize $3,000-$5,000. The 13 ½ inch necklace weighs in at 105 grams; the 7 ¼-inch bracelet weighs 32 grams.
Headlining the fine art category is an oil on canvas portrait painting attributed to the Italian artist Ludovico Carracci (1555-1619). The painting is a female portrait to the neck, and she holds a twig in one hand. The 17 ¼ inch by 14 ¾ inch (sight) portrait is accompanied by an experts report and has a pre-sale estimate of est. $7,500-$12,500.
Furniture will feature two lots that were originally paired with one another and both carrying identical estimates of $3,000-$6,000. One is a Bernhard Rohne Mastercraft acid-etched wooden dining table, 84 inches long by 47 inches wide and detailed in brass. A receipt from 1978 shows it was purchased for $2,600. The other a set of six Karges Furniture Company chinoiserie black lacquer chairs with hand-painted gold trim, Asian-themed scenic backrests and cream upholstery.
A Chinese six-panel wood screen boasting stonework of various semi-precious stones to include lapis, rose quartz, jade and more, should fetch $1,000-$10,000. Each panel has an inlaid floral scrollwork motif and stands 72 inches by 16 inches. Also, a 145-piece Wallace Grand Baroque sterling flatware set with a total weight of 249 troy ounces, is expected to rise to $3,000-$5,000.
Returning to estate jewelry, a pair of antique 14k white gold, mine-cut floral cocktail design, omega lever-back earrings, each one having a center diamond of about 5.2mm surrounded by eight smaller diamonds, has an estimate of $2,500-$5,000; and a platinum and diamond Tiffany starburst convertible brooch pin, hallmarked TIFFANY and with a removable hinged pin mount revealing a flip down bail to be won as a pendant, is expected to rise to $1,000-$3,000.
A vintage malachite pendant having an 18k gold centaur mounted to the center and framed in solid 18k gold, should realize $1,250-$2,500. The gold centaur weighs 17.7 grams; gold frame and bail (without malachite) is 16.9 grams. Also, a beautiful vintage necklace having two strands of pearls joined by a 14k white gold diamond and pearl pendant, has an estimate of $500-$1,500. The floral motif pendant is encrusted in 40-plus diamonds with three smaller pearls to the center.