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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.
February 3, 2025
Cartier Chronoflex perpetual calendar W51001Q3 28.3mm 2303 $3,500.00 CAD. 501-00373
The tank shaped case has been the Cartier look for over 100 years. This shape has really become synonymous with the brand. Model W51001Q3 is blessed with a very interesting quartz movement.
The Piaget sourced calibre 212p is a marvel of electronic timing; 25 jewels, Swiss made, a finish more typical of exotic hand made mechanical movements, a 12 hour chronograph, and one extra very special talent. This movement has a perpetual calendar built in. In theory you only need to correct the date every 100 years. You will have to reset the date at the end of February in the year 2100 because the year 2100 is not a leap year. If you’re like me and never learned that little rhyme that helps identify months that don’t have 31 days a perpetual calendar is a very handy feature.
Cartier Tank Chronoflex is an intermediate size that either a man or woman can wear. It measures 28mm wide but over 43mm on the diagonal from lug to lug giving it a much larger look than you’d expect. Cartier is a luxury brand in the truest sense of the word. One great example of this is how they secure the bracelet. Instead of using a simple spring bar, they use a clever and much stronger solid pin system. Two small stainless steel pins extend into the lugs with a threaded set screw.
Cabochon cut lab-grown blue spinel sets off the crown and perfectly compliments the blued steel hands. Rectangular chronograph pushers or more complicated to manufacturer than round, but they blend so much better with the rectangular case. When Cartier design a watch the design comes first, cost and complexity are secondary considerations that seldom dictate how their products are made.
The case is quite thin for a chronograph at 6.8mm, and the curved case is super comfy for a smaller arm. This watch is in very good original condition. The case doesn’t appear to have been polished or refinished before, it still retains the factory applied brushed and polished sections. The 16 link bracelet should fit the average sized gentleman’s wrist and most women.
The bracelet is secured with a butterfly style buckle that snaps shut with a reassuring click. The bracelet shows no stretch or sag of any kind.
A fresh battery every few years should be the only service requirements for the next decade or more. The watch comes with a comprehensive appraisal document from April 2024 and our Bill Le Boeuf Jewellers presentation box. Including 1 year warranty the watch is estate priced at $3,500.00. Stock #501-00373.
February 2, 2025
12.4mm South Sea Tahitian black pearl & diamond ring 0.20ct. tw. SI-K, 5.7gr. 14kt. $900.00 CAD. 206-00570
Tahitian pearls are not only the most valuable pearl, they are also cultured with the greatest level of environmental care in an already environmentally conscious industry. The pinctada margaritifera mollusk can grow to ten pounds in their lifetime, and that lifetime usually covers about 20 years but some have been known to live to 50 years old. They are also very sensitive to changes in water temperature and pollution, making pearl farmers very vocal supporters of ocean cleanup efforts and climate change. If the oceans warm too much pearl mollusks would eventually die off and the pearl industry would collapse. The pinctada margaritifera takes 18 months to 2 years to grow a Tahitian pearl. They aren’t killed in the pearl harvesting process. Farmers need to maximize the yield of their mollusks. It wouldn’t make sense to kill one that has reached the larger size required to grow the most valuable pearls.
Tahitian pearls come in a range of colours known in the trade as aubergine (dark grayish-purple bodycolor), pistachio (yellowish-green to greenish-yellow bodycolor), or peacock (dark green-gray to blue-gray body color with pink to purple overtones). Our 12.4mm jumbo Tahitian pearl is of the aubergine variety, and of good to very good quality, displaying just a small dimple blemish toward the bottom (not visible from the top).
The dark pearl is perched on a simple 14 karat white gold ring with a flat 3mm wide shank. Set on each shoulder are four smalll round brilliant cut diamonds of SI-K quality. The 8 diamonds are estimated to weigh 0.20 carats total weight. The ring measures a finger size 8 and weighs 5.7 grams. One of our goldsmiths can alter the fit to suit a range of finger sizes if needed. The ring is in excellent condition still showcasing its undisturbed original hard rhodium plating. Estate priced at $900.00 CAD. Stock #206-00570. 
February 1, 2025
Cartier style panther pendant 1.75ct. diamonds & sapphires, 11.6gr. 14kt. $2,275.00 CAD. 231-00362
Fun faux Leopard prints and other animal patterns have always been popular in fashion. A little over 100 years ago Leopard patterns were the “it” print for everything from home decor to women’s fashion; especially in France. The popularity of the medium-sized cats prompted Louis Cartier to include a panther on an invitation to his 1914 exhibition. Then Cartier designer Charles Jacqueau included the spots in two of his designs. In 1917 the first full panther appeared on a vanity case Louis Cartier had specially made for Jeanne Toussaint. She was eventually persuaded to start working for Cartier in the early 1920s and panthers featured heavily in her work. The full Cartier panther history can be read in this fascinating article by Marion Fasel. The interesting thing about this breed of jewellery is that it’s based on inaccurate species identification. The panther is actually the black or dark colour breed of jaguars and leopards, so the famous Cartier Panther is in fact a leopard.
Our latest Panther/Leopard inspired piece is this wonderful pendant. It it extremely versatile with a hinged bail with safety clasp that will fit almost any chain or bead necklace, even those without a clasp.
The pendant is of very good construction featuring 79 fully faceted round diamonds and sapphires. The diamonds are of I1-J quality and the sapphire are good quality dark royal blue. All totaled we estimate the diamonds and sapphires weigh approximately 1.75 carats. The pendant weighs a substantial 11.6 grams in upgraded 14 karat yellow gold.
The yellow gold has been rhodium plated over the stone settings and on the back to promote contrast and brilliance. It’s a beautiful object of art and a great example of a classic jewellery design. Estate priced at $2,275.00 CAD. Stock #231-00362.
January 31, 2025
20″, 14kt., 24.6gr., 6.3mm wide, mariner nautical link chain, made in Italy. $2,820.00 CAD. 431-00752
You’ll never regret buying quality, and quality is what you get if the gold chain you are considering was made in Italy. Our latest estate necklace is the popular marine style nautical link, but with something extra. The basic link has been further decorated with sharp crisp beveled edges and a diamond cut centre section. The bright cut middle section of every link has been lightly rhodium plated to provide sparkling white reflections as if the necklace was set with hundreds of tiny diamonds.
The illusion is very convincing from casual observation, you’d swear this was so much more than a gold chain. Rhodium is a tough, durable, and brilliant white precious metal that is often used as a hard plating on white gold to provide a super bright white reflective finish. It can also be used on yellow gold like this chain to add highlights and extra visual interest. Rhodium is very rare and even more expensive than gold; as of today (Jan. 27, 2025) one ounce of rhodium costs over $6,500.00 CAD per ounce! This chain measures 20 1/4 inches long and 6.3mm wide, it weighs in at a hefty 24.6 grams.
The original clasp must have been replaced at some point with a new one as the current clasp is made from 10 karat gold (41.7% purity) and not 14 karat (58.3% purity) like the rest of the chain.
Other than the clasp, the chain appears to be original and in like new condition. There is no measurable wear or stretch in the links or chain ends. The jump-ring connecting the lobster clasp to the chain end has been soldered shut by hand, providing excellent security. Check the connecting ring on your necklace(s), they are often only pinched closed and not soldered shut. If you get a good pull on the chain, there is a good chance the pinched ring may open up. Both sides of this chain and detailed the same resulting in a consistent look if the necklace flips. Like new and estate priced at $2,820.00 CAD. Stock #431-00752.
January 30, 2025
2023 Breitling Premier 40mm A37340 like new $4,200.00 CAD. 515-00104
Breitling is famous for sports watches. They are usually specialty designs often featuring complications that useful for pilots and divers. Rotating bezels for timing and slide-rule calculators are typical. Busy dials, multiple registers, and text so small it’s almost impossible to read are the accepted norm with most Breitling watches. The Premier A37340 offers none of those features. This one is just about as basic as you can get for clean, simple, and efficient time keeping duties in a dressy package. There isn’t even a date function with this watch, the only concession for extra utility is a tiny seconds hand at 6:00 o:clock.
The polished case with brushed sides measures a comfortable 40mm in diameter and a slim 11.6mm thick. The only extra decoration are three impossibly thin machined grooves running along the case edges as a nod to the mid-century modern design this watch was inspired by.
The radial finish dial with polished applied hours markers is quite large as there is no thick bezel taking up space.
A silver minute and seconds track offer some tasteful contrast to the otherwise achromatic dial. Attached to the case is a beautiful 20m wide dark navy blue alligator padded strap with white stitching and a locking deployment clasp that looks like a regular tang buckle.
This is a somewhat dressy watch but still showcases a few features seen on Breitling’s more sporting offerings. It comes with a water-resistance rating of 100 meters and the dome profile lab-grown sapphire crystal has been treating with an anti-reflective coating that greatly adds to legibility. Powering the Premier is an automatic winding mechanism the Breitling label the calibre 37. This robust movement is based on the ETA 2895-2 that Breitling’s watchmakers tweak, modify, and upgrade, to chronometer levels of accuracy. This watch is in like new condition and has likely only been worn a few times.
There isn’t a stain or scuff on the leather strap or the anti-reflective crystal coating. The stainless steel case is also in impeccable condition. The watch comes with its original packaging that is made from recycled plastic materials. A travel pouch, documents, tags, and warranty card are also included.
This watch will be covered by the factory’s warranty until May 2025. Our complimentary 1-year warranty will cover the new owner after the factory warranty expires. This beautiful sophisticated Breitling Premier A37340 is estate priced at $4,200.00 CAD. Stock #515-00104.
