Bid Smart: Angela Cummings, pioneering jewelry designer

A circa-1980 Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. 18K gold inlaid cuff bracelet earned $22,000 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

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A circa-1980 Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. 18K gold inlaid cuff bracelet earned $22,000 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.
A circa-1980 Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co. 18K gold inlaid cuff bracelet earned $22,000 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2023. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Angela Cummings is an important jewelry designer who played a role in the feminist revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Women were then asserting themselves in the workplace and politics, fighting for equal rights and pay. They were buying their own jewelry, too, so it made sense they would look for standout pieces created by women designers such as Cummings.

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Bid Smart: Philip and Kelvin LaVerne: father-son furniture artists

A circa-1970s four-door Chan cabinet by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tripled its high estimate to achieve $90,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

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A circa-1970s four-door Chan cabinet by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tripled its high estimate to achieve $90,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.
A circa-1970s four-door Chan cabinet by Philip and Kelvin LaVerne tripled its high estimate to achieve $90,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2021. Image courtesy of Freeman’s and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Taking inspiration from classical art, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne (1907-1987 and b. 1937-) set the bar high in the 1960s, elevating modern furniture while never losing sight of a piece’s function. From their New York City studio on Wooster Street and a later showroom on East 57th Street, the father-son designers worked in pewter, silver and bronze to make signed, limited-edition furniture and decorative art. The pair worked together from the mid-1950s until Philip’s death in 1987, after which Kelvin pursued his passion for sculpture.

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Bid Smart: Dipping in to the wild and wonderful world of animal-form inkwells

A pair of porcelain inkwells with agate bird finials, sold together with a carved spinach and jade standish, achieved $34,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Butterscotch Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A pair of porcelain inkwells with agate bird finials, sold together with a carved spinach and jade standish, achieved $34,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Butterscotch Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A pair of porcelain inkwells with agate bird finials, sold together with a carved spinach and jade standish, achieved $34,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Butterscotch Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — At first glance, inkwells seem like a dusty holdover from the early 20th century. In this modern age of laptops and AI-generated emails, no one needs an inkwell — but that is now the point. Yes, no one needs inkwells or fountain pens anymore, but people continue to appreciate them as beautiful, elegant objects that inspire a strong sense of nostalgia and make for a well-appointed desk. Pen shows and pen auctions are held around the United States and worldwide, and those who discover the pleasures of taking pen to paper often want vintage accessories such as inkwells.

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Bid Smart: Opals: The glory of the rainbow in the form of a gem

An early 20th-century ring centered on a 3.36-carat black opal surrounded by diamonds achieved £4,000 (roughly $5,200) in March 2021. Image courtesy of Elmwood’s and LiveAuctioneers.
An early 20th-century ring centered on a 3.36-carat black opal surrounded by diamonds achieved £4,000 (roughly $5,200) in March 2021. Image courtesy of Elmwood’s and LiveAuctioneers.
An early 20th-century ring centered on a 3.36-carat black opal surrounded by diamonds achieved £4,000 (roughly $5,200) in March 2021. Image courtesy of Elmwood’s and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK – Opals have been the gemstones of kings for centuries. When worn in bright sun or clear light, opals blaze forth with a seemingly magical display of light and color that is like nothing else. Every opal is more than a piece of polished rock; it’s a radiant experience in which its blues, greens, whites and even black natural colorings is measured by its dazzle and sparkle.

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Bid Smart: Archie Comics have grown up, though its leads never do

A 5.5-grade copy of Archie Comics #2 (spring 1943), featuring Bob Montana cover art, earned $4,932 including the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A 5.5-grade copy of Archie Comics #2 (spring 1943), featuring Bob Montana cover art, earned $4,932 including the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A 5.5-grade copy of Archie Comics #2 (spring 1943), featuring Bob Montana cover art, earned $4,932 including the buyer’s premium in March 2020. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Superheroes dominate the realm of comic books with meta-humans, aliens blessed with superpowers, and rich and talented mortals equipped with ultra-cool tech. DC and Marvel Comics make millions catering to fans of these characters, but the companies and their superhero-heavy storylines do not represent all that comic books have to offer. Namely, the medium boasts a long-running title focused on a group of ordinary teenagers whose biggest worries are finding themselves in a love triangle or receiving a bad grade.

The wholesome image of high-schoolers sipping sodas at the malt shop conjures up nostalgia for many, and Archie Comics, featuring the gang from Riverdale — Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie et al — has endured for more than 80 years, enchanting new generations despite massive changes in pop culture as well as changes in what it means to be a teenager.

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Bid Smart: Rene Portocarrero made dreamy, distinctly Cuban images

A 1960 Rene Portocarrero portrait of a woman brought $16,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Kodner Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.
A 1960 Rene Portocarrero portrait of a woman brought $16,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Kodner Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.
A 1960 Rene Portocarrero portrait of a woman brought $16,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2019. Image courtesy of Kodner Galleries Inc. and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Rene Portocarrero (Cuban, 1912-1985) was an early pioneer of Cuban art whose artworks, as well as those of his native countrymen, came to greater worldwide attention. He rode a late 20th-century wave that saw contemporary art become more global and saw Cuban and Latin American artists start to gain the recognition they were due.

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Bid Smart: Chopard masterfully blurs the line between watches and jewelry

A Chopard L’Heure du Diamant watch achieved £32,000, or about $40,656, plus the buyer’s premium in July 2022. Image courtesy of Winchester Art Auction and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chopard L’Heure du Diamant watch achieved $40,656 plus the buyer’s premium in July 2022. Image courtesy of Winchester Art Auction and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chopard L’Heure du Diamant watch achieved £32,000, or about $40,656, plus the buyer’s premium in July 2022. Image courtesy of Winchester Art Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — When it comes to high-precision watches, the standard has long been set by Swiss engineering. The house of Chopard distinguishes itself from its fellow Swiss rivals by producing fine jewelry as well as exquisite watches.

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Bid Smart: Chinese famille verte porcelain finds glory in the color green

A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A Chinese famille verte ormolu-mounted bowl on stand took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021. Image courtesy of Shapiro Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Famille verte porcelain has been highly prized since it was developed in China during the Kangxi period (1661-1722). The best pieces were reserved for the emperor and the royal court, but many fine examples made their way to discriminating buyers in the late 17th to the early 18th century.

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Bid Smart: Self-taught artist Joseph Yoakum, king of the mountain

Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.,’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.,’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.
Joseph Yoakum’s view of ‘Mt. Alpha of Brooks Range Near Wiseman, Alaska U.S.A.’ made $32,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022. Image courtesy of Slotin Folk Art and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Many of the most renowned self-taught artists didn’t begin painting until late in life. Grandma Moses was 77, Clementine Hunter was in her 50s and Bill Traylor in his 80s. Most had to wait until their golden years, when they were no longer working to feed their families and had time to pursue a passion for art. For some, the decision came in a dream. Such was the case with Joseph E. Yoakum (1891–1972). Growing up poor on Chicago’s South Side with little schooling, he was drafted into the Army during World War I and served overseas before returning to Chicago. The troubled Yoakum led a mostly itinerant life, leaving home to work in circuses as a handyman, and, for a short time, he was institutionalized in a Chicago mental hospital.

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Bid Smart: Lake life memorabilia brings delight year-round

A pair of Adirondack chairs made by Roy McMakin for the Domestic Furniture Company in 2003 went for $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2022. Image courtesy of Los Angeles Modern Auctions and LiveAuctioneers
A pair of Adirondack chairs made by Roy McMakin for the Domestic Furniture Company in 2003 went for $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2022. Image courtesy of Los Angeles Modern Auctions and LiveAuctioneers
A pair of Adirondack chairs made by Roy McMakin for the Domestic Furniture Company in 2003 went for $2,400 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2022. Image courtesy of Los Angeles Modern Auctions and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK — Lake life is not just a hashtag or a clever saying printed on a baseball cap — it’s a fully realized lifestyle. People enamored with lake life spend the summer with friends and family on their favorite lakes, passing the time by swimming, riding personal watercraft and drifting in floating inflatables. There’s also plenty to do along the lakeshore, such as fishing or walking along the water or wooded trails. Islands with sandbars quickly fill up with boats moored offshore and revelers who relax on the sand, play music, grill food and share cocktails, conversation and games. And as with any lifestyle worth its salt, lake life has generated its own unique accoutrements and memorabilia.

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