18k Swallow
Antique Late 19th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Brooches
18k Gold, Enamel
Antique Early 1900s European Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Enamel
2010s American Artisan Drop Necklaces
Sapphire, Multi-gemstone, Yellow Sapphire, Natural Pearl, Garnet, White ...
Antique 1890s Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Natural Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Silver
2010s Unknown Contemporary Necklace Enhancers
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver, Yellow Gold
Antique 1870s European Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
Antique 1880s Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Necklace Enhancers
Brown Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Mixed Metal, Yellow Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century Unknown Victorian Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Russian Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Russian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Contemporary Stud Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold
Antique 19th Century Unknown Brooches
Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Edwardian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1940s Retro Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Unknown Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Brooches
Pearl, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century European Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Unknown Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
2010s Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Brown Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique 1880s British Late Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Brooches
Ruby, Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Antique Early 1900s Art Nouveau Bangles
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1870s French Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum, Silver
Vintage 1910s French Belle Époque Pendant Necklaces
Garnet, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Early 1900s Edwardian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Antique 1890s European Victorian Brooches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Unknown Pendant Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique 1830s French Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s French Belle Époque Choker Necklaces
Pearl, Natural Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1910s Edwardian Charm Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Unknown Cluster Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau More Necklaces
18k Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century French High Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Enamel, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Brooches
Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s Unknown Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
Antique Early 19th Century French Art Nouveau Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1910s Unknown Art Nouveau More Jewelry
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Artisan Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Artisan Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold
2010s Australian Victorian Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Russian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Russian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Belle Époque Dangle Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Australian Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
18k Swallow For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 18k Swallow?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany & Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef & Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.