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Sterling Silver & 14K Gold Honeycomb Pendant by WingedLion Jewelers

Sterling Silver & 14K Gold Honeycomb Pendant by WingedLion Jewelers
Photo Credit: WingedLion

Sterling Silver & 14K Gold Honeycomb Pendant by WingedLion Jewelers

Buy It Now Price: $705

Pros:

-This beautiful honeycomb pendant with honeybee is handcrafted by WingedLion jewelers using sterling silver, 14 karat gold, cabochon-cut citrines and round-cut, white sapphire accent stones.

-It measures 47 mm (1.85 inches) tall (including the bail) by 28 mm (1.10 inches) wide.

-WingedLion Jewelers is run by the husband and wife team of Sergey Zhiboedov and Natalia Moroz. Natalia, an accomplished printmaker and illustrator, designs some of their jewelry while her husband Sergey both designs and hand casts pieces in their Charlotte, North Carolina workshop. WingedLion’s Tumblr page not only details selected products, but also shows behind-the-scenes glimpses of how they are created.

-This contemporary honeycomb pendant exhibits both incredible attention to detail and superb workmanship, two factors completely lacking from most mass-produced, chain-store jewelry.

-If $695 is too rich for your wallet, there are other, similar versions of this pendant available for less money. For example, a sterling silver honeycomb pendant (without the gold honeybee) set with amber instead of citrine is only $285. At that price, a WingedLion honeycomb pendant would hardly be more expensive than some pieces of higher-end costume jewelry.

-The design work on WingedLion jewelry is absolutely superb. The forms, materials and execution are all top notch. I’ll never understand why anyone would spend hundreds of dollars on generic, mass-produced jewelry when these handmade masterpieces are available for almost the same amount of money.

-The artists have also created ring versions of this honeycomb theme if you aren’t interested in pendants. The adventurous can purchase an extraordinary sterling silver, 14 karat gold and citrine honeycomb ring for just $470, while the high rollers out there can splurge on a magnificent sterling silver and 14 karat gold honeybee ring set with a stunning 1 carat yellow sapphire for $1,560.

-This WingedLion honeycomb pendant is a classic example of a future antique – a contemporary item of excellent quality that will undoubtedly season into an elegant and desirable antique over time. Because of this, I believe that the $695 price for this honeycomb pendant is easily justified.

 

Earrings By WingedLion Jewelers for Sale on Etsy

(These are affiliate links for which I may be compensated)

 

Cons:

-Although it is difficult to estimate with precision, the intrinsic value of this honeycomb pendant is undoubtedly well below its asking price. I estimate that the silver is worth less than $20, the gold no more than $100, the citrines perhaps $15 and the white sapphires just a few dollars. The total value of materials in this pendant max out at around $140. But this is a completely normal state of affairs when purchasing contemporary jewelry. After all, the artist has to buy all the materials, assemble them and still be able to make a profit!

-This piece of jewelry is not a one-of-a-kind, unique item. Instead, WingedLion creates this jewelry on demand for their customers. I don’t see this as very large drawback, though. Most jewelry is churned out in overseas factories by the tens (or hundreds) of thousands. In contrast, WingedLion has probably only handcrafted a few dozen (or at worst, a couple hundred) of these pendants.

-If you are approaching this purchase strictly from an investment standpoint, you will have to wait for this honeycomb pendant to age into a vintage piece (approximately 15 to 20 years) before its value will begin to rise on the secondary market. Of course, in the meantime you (or your significant other) will get to wear an absolutely gorgeous handmade pendant!

 

 

 

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Gold Capped Omega Seamaster Sparkle Wristwatch, Circa 1970

Gold Capped Omega Seamaster Sparkle Wristwatch, Circa 1970
Photo Credit: bethw2222

Gold Capped Omega Seamaster Sparkle Wristwatch, Circa 1970

Buy It Now Price: $675.75 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This vintage gold capped Omega Seamaster wristwatch from 1970 sports a robust, caliber 750 automatic movement with day-date function and a super funky “sparkle” enamel dial.

-Omega is one of the world’s most famous luxury watch makers, second only to Rolex in name recognition. And since its initial release in 1948, the Omega Seamaster has been one of the brand’s most desirable and well-known models.

-A gold capped wristwatch is a solid stainless steel case that has been “topped” or “capped” with a thin karat gold shell. The gold shell is actually fabricated separately and then mechanically fitted onto the specially prepared stainless steel case – a very expensive and labor-intensive process. The precious metal layer on gold capped wristwatches is much thicker than on either gold electroplated or gold-filled wristwatches.

-The Swiss 17-jewel Omega 750 movement was manufactured between 1966 and 1970 specifically for the U.S. import market. Due to its lower number of jewels, the Omega 750 movement had smaller import duties than its almost identical 24-jewel sibling, the Omega caliber 752.

-Gold electroplated jewelry usually has a thickness of only 2 or 3 microns (millionths of a meter). Very heavy electroplate is 20 microns thick. Gold-fill on watches is often between 50 and 120 microns. But a vintage gold capped wristwatch from a high-end manufacturer like Omega or Rolex will generally be around 200 microns (0.2 millimeters) or even a bit thicker. It is the very thickest gold-plating out there.

-This vintage gold capped Omega Seamaster wristwatch is engraved on the back with “GEORGE KRAFT 12-22-71 FROM MEN OF EAST RIVER”. I find this interesting because it obviously references the East River in New York City, which separates Manhattan from Brooklyn. The watch was undoubtedly a gift for someone who worked in a blue collar association or union.

-Gold capped wristwatches were popular from the 1950s through the 1970s, when they fell out of favor due to their higher cost of production versus gold electroplated and gold-filled versions.

-Due to its unique metallic reflective dial, this type of Omega is sometimes known as the Seamaster Sparkle among watch collectors. Better yet, the dial looks like it is both original and in great condition.

-I was actually going to originally feature a similar vintage gold capped Omega Seamaster in my Spotlight post this week, but it sold (at a buy-it-now price of $850) before I could complete my write-up!

-While I don’t normally recommend gold-filled or gold-plated watches for the horological enthusiast, gold capped wristwatches get my official stamp of approval. They do not have the same drawbacks of watches with thinner gold plate. For example, regardless of how badly they get scratched, gold capped watches will not expose the base metal underneath. For all intents and purposes, they wear just as well as a solid karat gold watch.

-A gold capped Omega Seamaster wristwatch in good condition will generally cost just as much as (or sometimes more than) an identical all stainless steel model. With a buy-it-now price of only $675, this vintage gold capped Omega Seamaster represents good value in a classic timepiece.

 

Cons:

-All else being equal, a gold capped wristwatch will never be as desirable as the same watch in solid karat gold. However, a gold capped wristwatch is a reasonable way to acquire a vintage gold watch without the exorbitant cost of solid karat gold specimens, which are often 2 to 3 times higher in price.

-I believe the crown of this gold capped Omega Seamaster is a replacement, as it does not have the Omega logo on it. If desired, a new, period correct Omega crown could be procured for between $50 and $100.

-The stainless steel back of this watch is not in the best condition; it has some scuffs and very light corrosion. However a judicious buffing could remove many of these minor imperfections.

-This watch should be professionally serviced, which typically runs between $100 and $250. Combined with a replacement crown, total servicing costs would be in the $150 to $350 range. This would push the total cost of the piece up to $825 to $1,025, which is still a fair price given its condition and desirability.

 

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1987 Australian Gold Nugget Proof Set

1987 Australian Gold Nugget Proof Set
Photo Credit: APMEX

1987 Australian Gold Nugget Proof Set

Buy It Now Price: $2,731.05 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a stately 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set containing four coins – 1, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/10 troy ounce sizes – with a total gold content of 1.85 troy ounces.

-This set is a proof version of the immensely popular Australian Gold Nugget/Kangaroo bullion series of coins. Modern proof coins are carefully struck to very exacting standards in order to ensure mirror-like surfaces and maximum detail.

-The obverse of the coins has a bust of Queen Elizabeth II while the reverse has a series of famous Australian gold nuggets. Australia, along with the Alaska-British Columbia complex, is the world’s most prolific producer of natural gold nuggets.

-The 1 troy ounce proof coin features the 953 troy ounce Poseidon nugget, discovered in 1906 in Tarnagulla, Victoria. The 1/2 troy ounce proof coin depicts the Bobby Dazzler nugget, found in 1899 in Sharks Gully, Western Australia. The 1/4 troy ounce proof coin shows the 199 troy ounce Father’s Day nugget, discovered in 1979 in Ophir, New South Wales. The 1/10 troy ounce proof coin portrays the 200 troy ounce Golden Aussie nugget, found in 1980 in Western Australia.

-The mintage for the 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set was only 11,002 specimens. This may seem like a lot until you realize that Australian coins for general circulation regularly have mintages in the tens of millions per year. Even non-proof, 1 troy ounce Australian Nugget/Kangaroo gold bullion coins usually have mintages of well over 100,000 per annum.

-This 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set comes in its original, solid Jarrah wood box! The Jarrah is a type of Eucalyptus tree (scientific name: Eucalyptus marginata) native to Australia. In addition to having a rich reddish-tone and beautifully figured grain-pattern, Jarrah wood is also remarkably tough and rot resistant. I believe the Jarrah wood case significantly enhances the desirability and value of this set.

-Like all Australian bullion coins, this set was struck at the Perth Mint, which is 100% owned by the Government of Western Australia. Originally established in 1899 as a branch of the London Royal Mint, the Perth Mint was created to refine and strike coins from gold mined in the newly discovered Western Australian goldfields.

-I am a firm believer that vintage gold bullion proof sets from the 1980s and 1990s represent exceptional value for the tangible asset investor. I previously showcased a lovely 1985 British gold sovereign proof set that shares a very similar risk-reward profile to this 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set.

-With the spot price of gold trading at $1,316, this 1987 Australian Gold Nugget proof set contains $2,434 worth of gold. At the buy-it-now price of $2,731, this represents a modest premium only 12.2%. Because this set is less than $300 above melt value, you are assuming very little numismatic risk if you opt to purchase it.

 

Cons:

-Ironically, Australian Gold Nugget bullion coins only featured gold nuggets for a short period of time, from 1986 to 1989. After that, the series switched to kangaroos on the reverse of the coin. Because of this, the early gold nugget version is less well recognized than its more modern counterpart with the kangaroo. Although this could conceivably impact future demand (and therefore, price), I see it as being a very minor issue.

 

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Hand-Carved Contemporary Walnut Sculpture with Brass Base

Hand-Carved Contemporary Walnut Sculpture with Brass Base
Photo Credit: PerfectFiveWoodworks

Hand-Carved Contemporary Walnut Sculpture with Brass Base

Asking Price: $100 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is an amazing hand-carved contemporary walnut sculpture set atop a hand-finished solid brass base. The use of top-quality materials in an artwork – like solid brass and walnut – is an artist’s statement of confidence in his own talent and vision.

-The wood used in this sculpture is Bastogne walnut, one of the more expensive varieties of walnut wood. Bastogne walnut is a hybrid between the Persian (or English) Walnut, which is native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the Claro Walnut, which originates in California and Oregon.

-I love the contrasting mash-up of a perfectly-linear, geometric base with an organic, undulating top in this contemporary walnut sculpture.

-Bastogne walnut is also known as Paradox walnut because it grows much faster than either of its parent species, but yields timber that is harder, stronger and denser than both of them. This is a very odd trait for a hardwood, as faster growing trees usually produce softer, weaker, less-dense wood.

-The artist carefully chose to work with highly figured hardwood for this contemporary walnut sculpture. In addition to its breathtaking appearance, figured wood is rarer and more expensive than clean, but otherwise plain, lumber of the same species.

-The artist has chosen to create only 11 different examples of this hand-carved contemporary walnut sculpture, making it a limited edition work. This is important because limited edition artworks have a better chance of appreciating in value than those with unlimited runs.

-If poorly conceived or executed, contemporary sculpture has the potential to be undeniably, outlandishly ugly. Luckily, this contemporary walnut sculpture was perfectly visualized and flawlessly executed.

-A lot of people believe that art is only for the rich. However, this hand-carved contemporary walnut sculpture is not only exquisitely beautiful, but also remarkably affordable with a price tag of only $100.

 

Cons:

-Buying contemporary art for investment purposes is a high risk proposition. It is important to choose works that you love, because, depending on the vagaries of fashion and the art market, it may not be possible to sell them for a profit.

-This work is rather small, measuring only about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) per side. If you are looking for an artwork that dominates a space with massive visual impact, this is not the piece for you. Instead, this desktop-sized contemporary walnut sculpture is intended for a more intimate setting.

 

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