Unexpected Treasures: CIRCA Evaluates A Reader's Finds

by Unknown (RSS feed)
Jan 20th 2011 at 2:01PM

A reader submitted the following letter to Luxist's Unexpected Treasures column and CIRCA agreed to help us evaluate:

Going through some old "junk" chests I had I came upon a few of interesting pieces I thought I would submit.

The first piece is an 18K gold Zenith wristwatch. The watch belonged to my grandfather and I believe it is pre 1930. Upon further inspection (I am a watch aficionado) I believe it uses a Valjoux .22 Calibre Chronograph movement (I could definitely be wrong). The watch does not have a model or serial number as is common with a lot of older timepieces. I have not been able to find much information on the piece online so any help you and circa could provide would be wonderful.

The second piece is a Tiffany's sterling silver bean clutch purse designed by Elsa Peretti. Elsa was a good friend of my mothers and gifted the purse to her in the late 70s or early 80's (as the stamp on the back of the purse suggests.)

The third piece are a pair of Tiffany's earrings made out of palladium(stamped in the back), designed by Paloma Picasso, also gifted to my mother by Elsa.

I would love to see what circa has to say about these pieces and they certainly were an unexpected treasures.

Best Regards,
Federico

Click through for the response from CIRCA...

Dear Federico,

Thank you for submitting these pieces. While we can't place a true value on them without a physical inspection, we took a look at the images you provided together with your descriptions, and can say the following:

1) It's an interesting watch and a nice find! Chronographs from all periods are collectible. That it is in gold and by Zenith are positive points as well. We agree with your inspection that the movement is a Valjoux Cal 22. The age and particularly the condition of the watch are going to be important factors in determining value. These aspects, and others, would need to be assessed by a physical inspection, but if it all checks out, the range for a piece like this is $700-$1,000.

2) We actually came across a silver bean clutch recently – a very chic and organic form! They are a nice departure from the "stiffer" rectangular shaped gold that evening clutches were typically made of. In this case, the fact that it was a personal gift from Elsa Peretti would make the sentimental value of the piece to the owner greater than the resale value. Depending on the condition, the range would be $500-$750.

3) The third piece sounds intriguing and is something which warrants a further look. Tiffany made palladium earrings in the early 1940's when the U.S. government prohibited the use of platinum in jewelry, as it was deemed strategically important. Presently, there are only a handful of pieces rendered in palladium by Paloma Picasso. However, in the world of traditional jewelry design, palladium does not quite fall into the realm of "noble metals" so these earrings don't have the intrinsic value of platinum or gold earrings. Depending on the condition, the range would be $200-$300.

Have a "Hidden Treasure" for CIRCA to evaluate? Just submit a picture and brief description.

CIRCA is the leading global buyer of jewelry, diamonds and watches from the public. With offices throughout the US, Asia and Europe, CIRCA has become the first-ever luxury brand on the buy side of the jewelry business. As one of the largest recyclers of jewelry in the world, CIRCA is committed to promoting sustainability by reducing the environmental impact of mining for precious metals and gemstones. We believe that every diamond that CIRCA places back into the marketplace is one less that has to be mined from the earth. For more information, visit the CIRCA blog.

Tags: circa, circa jewels, elsa perretti, luxist guest post, paloma picasso, tiffany, tiffany and Co, TiffanyAndCo, unexpected treasures, zenith