While preparing a recent Los Angeles estate sale, we discovered this elegant Portuguese silver tea service displayed on its scarce matching tray. The set includes a teapot, coffee pot, sugar bowl, and creamer, all crafted in 833 silver and accompanied by the original solid silver tray. Before we were engaged to handle the estate, the family had been told by another visitor that the set was not silver. However, after a quick examination of the Portuguese hallmarks, we were able to confirm that the entire service — including the tray — is in fact solid silver. The distinction can be significant. Many tea services are only silver-plated, which means they contain a thin layer of silver over a base metal. Solid silver pieces, by ...

Every so often a piece of jewelry comes along that deserves a closer look. This striking platinum ring features a marquise-cut center diamond surrounded by pear and marquise diamonds arranged in a dramatic cluster design. Altogether, the ring carries approximately 7.7 carats of diamonds, giving it remarkable presence on the hand. Because the center stone appeared to be significant in both size and quality, it was submitted to the Gemological Institute of America for professional grading. The report confirmed a 2.28 carat marquise brilliant diamond. Beyond the center diamond, the surrounding pear and marquise diamonds create a bold and expressive composition. Designs like this are often found in vintage estate jewelry, where dramatic ...

One of the most significant discoveries from our earlier years was a rare sterling silver covered form designed by Erik Magnussen for Gorham, found during an estate we conducted over fourteen years ago. It represents the level of connoisseurship that continues to define our work today, where we regularly handle important jewelry, silver, and decorative arts in the five-figure range and beyond.

At first glance it was easy to misplace in period. The form was unlike traditional Gorham production, and the die-struck mark beneath the standard hallmarks did not correspond to any familiar pattern or catalog reference. That mark continued to stand out, and when it was finally matched in our reference library and identified as Erik Magnussen, the...

Collector’s Spotlight: An Early Meissen Tea Caddy Before Meissen, true porcelain was one of the great mysteries of Europe.

For centuries it came only from China and Japan, imported at enormous cost and often called “white gold.” European courts collected it obsessively, but no one knew how it was made. That changed in the early 1700s when, under the patronage of Augustus the Strong in Saxony, the secret was finally discovered. Meissen became the first factory in Europe to produce true hard-paste porcelain, and in doing so it transformed the history of ceramics. Because Meissen was first, everything from this early period carries special importance. These were not simply decorative objects. They were technological ...