Gold Compacts
Mid-20th Century Vanity Items
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Italian Retro Boxes and Cases
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Vintage 1940s American Vanity Items
Ruby, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s Unknown Retro Boxes and Cases
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century Unknown Art Nouveau Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Edwardian Boxes and Cases
Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s American Retro Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s Italian Retro Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American More Objets d'Art and Vertu
Emerald, Sapphire
Mid-20th Century Vanity Items
14k Gold
20th Century French Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Vanity Items
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Modernist Vanity Items
Gold Plate
20th Century French Contemporary Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Retro Vanity Items
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Art Nouveau Boxes and Cases
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s Unknown Retro Vanity Items
18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Desk Accessories
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Ruby, Gold
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Vanity Items
Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s French Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century American Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Boxes and Cases
10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Vanity Items
Ruby, Yellow Gold, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Artisan Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Retro Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Vanity Items
Ruby, Gold, Silver
20th Century American Contemporary Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel, Gold
20th Century French Modern Vanity Items
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century French Artist Boxes and Cases
Diamond, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Gold, Sterling Silver
20th Century Boxes and Cases
Gold
20th Century Vanity Items
14k Gold, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
Antique Early 1900s Edwardian Vanity Items
Vintage 1950s British Post-War Vanity Items
Gold, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Gilt Metal, Enamel, 14k Gold
20th Century Vanity Items
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1930s English Art Deco Vanity Items
Late 20th Century Italian Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Italian Vanity Items
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Italian Boxes and Cases
18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Vanity Items
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Art Deco Vanity Items
14k Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanity Items
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century North American Art Deco Vanity Items
Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Vanity Items
14k Gold
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Vanity Items
14k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Boxes and Cases
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum, Enamel
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Enamel Frames and Objects
Gold Plate, Silver, Sterling Silver, Enamel
Vintage 1940s British Post-War Vanity Items
Sterling Silver, Gold
Vintage 1930s North American Art Deco Vanity Items
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Boxes and Cases
18k Gold
Vintage 1930s American More Objets d'Art and Vertu
14k Gold
20th Century Italian Vanity Items
Silver, Enamel
Late 20th Century Vanity Items
Yellow Gold
20th Century French Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 18k Gold
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Gold Compacts For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Gold Compacts?
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.
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