Skip to content
estate jewelry

Turner Auctions offers last shot at Michalski estate jewelry Sept. 22

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

 

estate jewelry
Semiprecious stone and silver bangle bracelet, bezel- and prong-set with assorted semiprecious stones, 1¾in wide. Estimate $1,000-$1,500. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present Baubles, Purses & More: The Final Felicia Michalski Jewelry Sale, featuring fine and costume jewelry, beaded and vintage purses on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time/1:30 p.m. Eastern. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.

Featuring over 145 lots acquired over five decades, the sale offers fine jewelry, mostly for ladies, including rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, brooches and watches.  Most are crafted of gold or silver, gem-set with embellishments such as diamonds, opals, amethyst, jade, amber, turquoise, coral, cinnabar, rose quartz, cultured pearls, tourmaline, moonstone, bone, agate, onyx, tiger’s-eye and other semiprecious stones.

Among the items are Southwest-style and Mexican silver jewelry, including cuff bracelets; and several charm bracelets. A highlight is an oversized gold charm necklace (below), with charms of nine world cities, including a Paris charm by Cartier.

estate jewelry
Oversize gold charm necklace set with jade, cultured pearl, opal doublet, ruby, sapphire, cubic zirconia and synthetic stones. Estimate $2,500-$3,500. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

Several items come from another collector, including a 2.10-carat diamond solitaire ring.

estate jewelry
2.10 carat diamond and 14K ring, the mount channel-set with 60 smaller round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing in total approximately 1.20 carats. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

Of note is an extensive selection of purses and bags, including Victorian and Art Deco beaded purses, a vintage Chanel purse (below), a vintage Judith Leiber evening bag, a Gump’s clutch with jade and brocade, snakeskin purses, and evening bags of Swiss petit point and from Paris.

estate jewelry
Chanel black quilted leather shoulder bag, circa 1980s, lambskin, with original felt pouch and box; 7½ x 5 x 1½in., in excellent condition. Estimate: $300-500. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

There are also many groupings of costume jewelry and other wearables – antique, vintage and retro – including necklaces, bracelets, pins, pocket and wrist watches, shoe and belt buckles, and gentlemen’s accessories. In addition, the sale includes a Gucci pen, parasol handles, a carving set, Baccarat paperweights, several clocks, a cigarette case, jewelry boxes and pouches.

Additional highlights of the sale on Saturday, Sept. 22, include:

– An 18K gold ball-form bracelet weighing approximately 53.7 grams, 8 ¾ inches long (est. $1,000-$1,500).

– Boulder opal and diamond pendant with chain in 14K white and yellow gold; opal measuring approximately 34 by 26 by 8.7 millimeters (est. $600-$800).

– Monard Swiss quarter-hour repeater pocket watch in an 18K pink gold hunting case, 53 millimeters (est.  $600-800).

– Three Victorian beaded purses, the largest measuring approximately 10 by 7 inches (est. $100-$150).

estate jewelry
These three Victorian beaded purses are in good condition and comprise Lot 1 in the sale. Estimate: $100-$150. Turner Auctions + Appraisals image

Felicia Michalski’s life unfolded like a suspense novel, particularly during the war years. Born in Gostynin, Poland, in 1919, she survived the Holocaust, capture by the Russians who sent her to Siberia as slave labor, gangrene, and typhus. In 1942, she married Joseph Michalski, who also had been a Russian prisoner of war, then had two of their three sons. In 1949, the family went to America, ending up in San Francisco, where life gradually became better.

Living in California after the war, Michalski developed a serious collecting passion. According to her son Henry, Mrs. Michalski was known for her exceptional eye, a natural love of beauty, and an unrelenting desire to acquire.  Among her many collecting pursuits, jewelry was her favorite. Among her many collecting pursuits, jewelry was her favorite.  The final segment of the Felicia Michalski Collection of Fine Jewelry features many of the treasured adornments she collected over more than 60 years.

For more information, contact Stephen Turner, president of Turner Auctions, at 415-964-5250 or sturner@turnerauctionsonline.com.

[av_button label=’View the fully illustrated catalog and bid on LiveAuctioneers.’ link=’manually,https://bit.ly/2p6MtK2′ link_target=’_blank’ size=’medium’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-lhzf4u’ admin_preview_bg=”]