vintage pieces

WITH EXPERIENCE, COMES EXPERTISE

We have unique experience in buying, trading and selling estate jewellery. We have hundreds of previously owned items such as: diamond rings, gold coins, bracelets, earrings, pendants etc. Call or visit our store if there is a particular item you are looking for.

December 30, 2024

2004 IWC Pilot IW325307 38.3mm on bracelet with box & papers. $5,800.00 CAD. 501-00375

If you love luxury watches but a conspicuous brand like Rolex, Breitling or Cartier just seem a little too obvious, how about something a little more exotic? Why not consider an IWC Schaffhausen? Not only is it a fun name to say, it’s one of the true great watch manufacturers that is more than just a well marketed brand. From their 1868 inception in Schaffhausen Switzerland by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones, they developed an international reputation for manufacturing watches of the highest quality. This 2004 International Watch Company Pilot IW325307 is one of the more dedicated professional models offered. The case is a manageable 38.3mm diameter and wasn’t designed to be conspicuous. or the “look at me type”. The actual surface area of the dial is bigger than many larger watches because it lacks a thick bezel. This is a watch designed to serve just one purpose as efficiently as possible. Purchased new in the spring of 2004 at a Canadian IWC authorized agent in Toronto. The watch is in very good condition. The links in the bracelet are formed with pillow shaped sections with a brushed finish. The domed shaped and finish disguise any light scuffs or scratches. There is no stretch and very little sag in the flexible bracelets. This is a serious pilot watch with one of the most legible dials in the business. Just a simple flat finish black dial with luminous hands, no extra decoration on the dial. Basic Arabic hour markers with a full minute track plot out the time in a simple precise format. The minute hand tapers to a pin point tip allowing minute division calculation without even referencing the large sweep seconds hand. A slightly curved synthetic sapphire crystal with a special double sided anti-reflective coating is a luxury touch even Rolex doesn’t do, but greatly enhances the legibility by cutting down the reflections. Powering the watch is a 21 jewel automatic winding movement calibre 37524 based on the ETA2892-A2. It is shielded from magnetism by an soft iron inner case, and protected from water to 60 meters with a screw-down crown, and case-back. The domed sapphire crystal is both super hard and has been safeguarded from both a drop in air pressure and forces applied underwater. Included with purchase is the original box, endorsed warranty card, instructions, never used polishing cloth, tags, bracelet sizing adjusting tool, and a 231 page hard cover book documenting the history of IWC and various models. Including a one year Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers warranty the watch is estate priced at $5,800.00 CAD. Stock 501-00375.

December 29, 2024

18.5-19.5″ 6.5mm Akoya cultured pearl necklace with 14 karat gold clasp $1,500.00 CAD. 241-00105

A pearl necklace is arguably the most iconic of any jewellery item. A strand of pearls transcend generations, style trends and look great for any occasion with any outfit. We have many single strands of uniform size and some single stands with graduated pearls, a double strand like this is far more rare. The double strand takes the look up several notches in  sophistication. Our latest estate pearl necklace features an 18 1/2″ strand and a 19 1/2″ strand of 6.5mm to  6.7mm Akoya (Japanese Saltwater) cultured pearls. Each of the 122 pearls in the necklace have been expertly matched for colour, surface blemishes, nacre grain and thickness. The pearls display a silvery white luster with pinkish overtones. Overall quality is very nice, they’d easily rate a 7-8 out of 10. The necklace is secured by a 14 karat yellow gold barrel clasp set with 14 small white sapphires. Both strands have be strung on white silk cord in perfect condition. This necklace looks to have been restrung recently or has never been worn. The silk cord displays no wear or frayed sections. Buying a new single strand necklace of this sort of quality would cost around $2,000.00. This double strand is estate priced at $1,500.00 CAD. Stock #241-00105.

December 28, 2024

14 karat garnet bead/pendant/charm, 16mm, 5.7grams, 5.50 carat total weight. $720.00 CAD. 231-00370

Here is a versatile jewellery item, it can be a stand alone pendant, a bracelet charm, or a component in a bead necklace. It has no front, back, or sides. The hollow ball construction measures 16mm in diameter and will fit on any bracelet or necklace up to 5mm in width. It weighs a significant 5.7 grams and contains 45 bead set (by hand) round faceted almandine garnets. Each of the dark reddish brown natural garnets measure 3.2mm diameter and are estimated to weigh 5.50 carats in total. This casual piece of jewellery is made from traditional 14 karat yellow gold stamped 585 MSN. It is in excellent condition showing no chips of scratches on any of the garnets. Estate priced at $720.00 CAD. Stock #231-00370.

December 27, 2024

1976 9315/380 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet with FlipLock & Diver’s extension 12 links. $4,000.00 CAD 505-00552

Before Rolex became one of the world’s most recognized luxury brands, they were simply one of many high quality Swiss made watch manufacturers. Historically speaking, they were most well know for being very reliable and robust. They were often purchased by professionals who needed a durable watch that could be counted on to be accurate and dependable under all conditions. The familiar look of the classic Oyster bracelet has changed very little in the close to 50 years since this one was made in the mid 1970s. The Submariner or Sea-Dweller it was originally fitted to likely only cost around $300.00 when it was new. Rolex were never inexpensive watches but they’ve certainly changed from being simply a high quality watch to a luxury item. They have done a remarkable job marketing the brand as a lifestyle statement for people who recognize there is a lot more to a Rolex than a high quality mechanical timekeeping tool. Today Rolex produces all the components that go into the production of their watches, but that was not always the case. Almost all the high end Swiss brands purchased various parts from other specialty suppliers. From dials and hands, right through to springs and complete movements, many parts and assemblies were outsourced to other companies. Although this bracelet is stamped “Rolex” in no less than 4 places and the famous Coronet logo another 5 times, it was manufactured by Gay Frères in Switzerland. Gay Frères produced bracelets and components for other watchmakers such as Heuer, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Heuer, and others. They employed over 500 at the height of their production in the 1907s. This all came to an end in the late 1990s when Rolex purchased the company as they became more vertically integrated, freeing themselves from the limitations imposed from outside suppliers. The look of this bracelet may be familiar but this old school design is made completely from stamped sections of stainless steel. Each link is fashioned from 2 separate pieces of sheet stainless that have been folded 6 times under extreme pressure. Simple, effective, and lightweight, this was how Rolex did things for many years. The hollow centre sections make make a jingling noise that is music to the ears of collectors and those who like their vintage Rolex original looking and sounding. Bracelets back then routinely wore out every 10 years or so and were replaced with newer semi-solid designs secured by heavy and long lasting screws. It is very rare to encounter an original folded link bracelet in the kind of condition our latest estate example is. This bracelet measures 20mm at the lugs and tapers to 15.5mm at the buckle. The last link is stamped with the model number 9315 with 380 end pieces. This bracelet will fit a vintage 5512, 5513, 1680 Submariner, 1675 GMT-Master, 1665 Sea-Dweller, or a 1655 Explorer II. It measures over 6 3/4 inches in length with 12 links (not including the diver’s extension). Including the watch it should fit a wrist size of up to 8 1/2 inches. If you need an original extra link, they are not too hard to locate online. A first generation screw link from a 93150 Oyster bracelet can easily be fit into these vintage bracelets too. Its hard to kill a Rolex watch if you service them every 10 years or so; original vintage bracelets are becoming more rare every day. This one was likely taken off decades ago and is ready to be united with your 1970s professional Rolex. $4,000.00 may be a lot of money for a Rolex bracelet that is close to 50 years old, but on the correct watch it adds far more value than that. It is in very good condition and has been refinished at some point. The embossed Coronet Rolex logo still stands off the surface nicely with excellent detail. There is only a tiny amount of stretch and some sag. These almost never show up in any condition let alone one this nice. It is estate priced at $4,000.00 CAD. Stock #505-00552.

December 26, 2024

18 karat Italian made enamel bird brooch 26.1 grams $3,500.00 CAD. 181-00030

It’s art, it’s jewellery, and if the value of gold continues to climb it might also be a decent investment. We just don’t see objects like this very often. Typical jewellery items like rings, necklaces, pendants, and earrings are seen everyday, but brooches are uncommon in any form. I’m very confident in saying, we’ll likely never see another brooch quite like this one again. This curious little bird was hand crafted in Italy by an unknown manufacture. It has been stamped ITALY but we have been unable to decipher the rest of the trade mark. It tests as 18 karat and has been made to the high standards associated with luxury Italian jewellery. We have to assume it was made when gold was a fraction of what it costs today as it weighs a substantial 26 grams. It is difficult to determine an age as birds have been a popular theme for brooches for 100s of years. We do know that the attention to detail is excellent and the glass enamel work was done by an expert. This isn’t coloured epoxy like you’d find on modern jewellery. Long lasting glass enamel provides a harder surface, with a rainbow of transparent to opaque colour options. The shading and transitions in colour on the feathers are as nice as we’ve seen. The enamel is in excellent condition with only a tiny section at the top of the wing showing minor chipping and a crack that goes completely unnoticed except under magnification. The brooch is secured by a white gold pin hinge clasp with built it safety clasp. It measures 7.3mm from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail feathers. It’s always interesting to determine the actual value of precious metal in a piece of jewellery, while not a definitive measure of value, it is a key component we’re always happy to share with you. The glass enamel likely weighs a few tenths of a gram leaving 25.9 grams of 18 karat gold. At today’s gold price of $3,764.00 CAD, this brooch contains $2,350.00 in just the recyclable gold content plus a few additional dollars in fine silver alloy. Turning $2,350.00 of raw gold into a beautiful piece of jewellery like this takes many hours of expert skill and more additional costs. If this was a brand new item; by the time it found its way to the final consumer it would likely sell for 3 to 4 times its value in gold. The value as an estate item is much much better at less than 1.5 times the gold value. This charming and playful brooch is estate priced at $3,500.00 CAD. Stock #181-00030.