ALAMEDA, CA.- Diamonds bound to impress bidders in Michaan’s June 13th fine sale include a ring centering a round brilliant cut stone of an approximate 3.03 carat weight, estimated at $18,000-25,000 (lot 2047). An unmounted, GIA certified natural fancy deep yellowish orange diamond weighing 2.17 carats provides a beautiful alternative to traditional stones as lot 2066 ($10,000-15,000). Also uniquely beautiful is an offering of an en tremblant diamond, enamel and 18 karat yellow gold articulated flower brooch, delighting with fine artistry and craftsmanship (lot 2042, $4,000-6,000).

Notable picks at sale include period jewelry as seen in pendant-brooches adorned with diamonds and pearls from a Belle Époque (lot 2032, $8,00010,000) as well as a Victorian (lot 2069, $6,000-8,000) piece. A retro diamond and yellow gold bracelet (lot 2054, $5,000-7,000) as well as an Art Deco diamond, emerald and platinum circle brooch (lot 2025, $1,000-1,500) will present more conservatively priced items to bidders. Noteworthy names at auction are found in a pocket watch from the family of captain Myles Standish (lot 2083, $5,000-7,000), joined at sale by a Tibetan two-strand necklace of excellent antique red coral beads with an ornate gilded pendant centering a large red coral cabochon from the Naomi Lindstrom Collection (lot 2003, $15,000-30,000).

Fine art highlights the oil painting Preparing Dinner by the father of transparent Cubism, Vicente Manansala (1910-1981), at an estimate of $80,000120,000 (lot 2098). This technique developed by Manansala where the subject and environment are masterfully superimposed, is utilized by the artist alongside reflections of society and culture in his works. The richly toned Preparing Dinner depicts three Filipino women preparing for feast as they balance produce and seafood upon their heads, while a woman to the far right holds a live chicken. The angular grasses painted in the background are reflected in the folds of their clothing, suggesting not only the people’s harmony with their environment, but also their dependence on it for sustenance. Manansala was once a member of the Thirteen Moderns group and the neo-realists, considered a leading figure of the modernist movement in the Philippines. The National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts has been represented in institutions and museums in both the Philippines and the United States, with the Holy Angel University in Angeles City, Philippines recently opening a section of its museum dedicated as The Vicente Manansala Collection. Vicente Manansala’s Preparing Dinner will be joined at auction by the oil painting Portrait of a Woman by fellow Filipino artist Fernando Cueto Amorsolo at an estimate of $20,000-30,000 (lot 2099).

A photography collection of Brett Weston (American 1911-1993) silver gelatin prints will also be presented in twenty-five lots. The offered prints, primarily from the 1950s and ‘60s, were gifted directly by Weston to the consignor’s family, as they were friends. Individual highlights include Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska 1973 ($6,000-8,000), Headstone and Lichen, Japan ($4,000-6,000), Dead Jelly Fish 1967 ($2,000-3,000), Broken Window 1960 ($2,000-2,500) and Century Plant, Portugal 1960 ($1,500-2,000). Pieces from Weston’s Fifteen Photographs and Baja series will also be made available in the fine sale in multiple lots.

The offering of a pair of Tiffany Studios Jeweled candlesticks are a decorative gem in Michaan’s June 13, 2016 fine auction, estimated at $37,500-42,500. The rare design of an extremely low production is of a bronze body of a starburst base cradling sixteen iridescent handblown Favrile glass “jewel” spheres of a butterscotch color, measuring approximately 1 inch in diameter each. Two midsized jewels are then ensconced in the slender shaft of each candlestick, all containing an especially high iridescence. A candle would then insert into a large butterscotch glass sphere measuring approximately 2 inches in width at the top. The candlesticks measure approximately 14 ¾ inches in height and remain in very good condition (with the jewels on the starburst base being reproductions). Each bears Tiffany Studios stamps upon the reverse of the bases, listed as Michaan’s sale lot 2389. Additional highlights reflecting fine tableware to be offered at auction include a four piece sterling Buccellati service at an estimate of $5,000-7,000 (lot 2446) as well as collections of Otto and Vivika Heino pottery (lots 2471, 2472, 2473, 2474).