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Contemporary Drypoint Print Titled “Five Snails” by Mariko Kuzumi

Contemporary Drypoint Print Titled "Five Snails" by Mariko Kuzumi
Photo Credit: PrintsbyMariko

Contemporary Drypoint Print Titled “Five Snails” by Mariko Kuzumi

Asking Price: $200 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a simple, yet alluring contemporary drypoint print titled “Five Snails” by the New York artist Mariko Kuzumi.  It was made in 2011 using BFK Rives paper – a premium, acid-free, 100% cotton print-making paper imported from France.

-Drypoint is an etching technique where copper, zinc, Plexiglas or acetate plates are engraved using a sharp, needle-like implement.  The resulting etched plates are then inked and used to make prints.

-Mariko Kuzumi used two different zinc plates to make this contemporary drypoint print – one for primary subject matter of the snails and a second for the foreground grass.

–Mariko Kuzumi was originally born in Japan, but immigrated to the United States with her family at age 14.  She later attended the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a BFA and BARCH degrees.  Her work has been exhibited extensively in the New York City area.

-Drypoint etched plates are very fragile.  Because of this they are only able to produce a very limited run of prints, often no more than a few dozen.  With this particular contemporary drypoint print, only a single copy has been made.  The “Five Snails” print is a unique work, a factor that will positively impact its future investment performance.

-I love the use of color and line in this contemporary drypoint print.  The snails form an arcing splash of color that naturally beckons the viewer’s gaze to sweep across the piece.  The loose, almost jittery art style lends the work a welcome sense of natural energy and vitality.  And the brightly colored snail shells add a refreshing vibrance to the otherwise monochromatic print.

-A lot of contemporary art has a reputation for being intellectually inaccessible or just plain ugly.  However, this contemporary drypoint print by Mariko Kuzumi bucks the trend.  It packages the best elements of contemporary art into a work that, while slightly abstracted, is still visually appealing and completely approachable.

-Considering this print’s appealing artistic style, premium materials and the fact that it is one-of-a-kind, I believe the asking price of $200 is easily justified.  It is also important to keep in mind that good art is invariably more expensive to produce than the layman would suspect.

 

Cons:

-Mariko Kuzumi’s “Five Snails” print only measures 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) wide by 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) tall, making it a rather small work.  Given its modest size, this contemporary drypoint print will never be appropriate for hanging over a sofa or fireplace.  However, it would still look stunning in a more intimate space like a bathroom, foyer or perhaps a bedroom.

-This work comes unframed.  If you actually want to display it, you will need to spend an additional $75 to $150 to have it properly framed with an acid-free mat and UV-filter glass.  This will drive up the total cost of the print to a range of perhaps $275 to $350.

Silver and Glass WWI Era French Liquor Flask

Silver and Glass WWI Era French Liquor Flask
Photo Credit: Only-At-The-Antique-Boutique

Silver and Glass WWI Era French Liquor Flask

Buy It Now Price: $596.25 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a stunning example of an antique French liquor flask crafted from solid silver and glass.  The silver portion is decorated with an engine-turned, diamond pattern emblazoned with an engraved crown motif while the contrasting glass is gently fluted.

-The liquor or hip flask first gained popularity in the 18th century among wealthy Europeans.  By the late 19th century, every middle-class gentleman or respectable woman owned one of these discreet, yet portable drink dispensers.  They could be used to sneak a refreshing shot of brandy, absinthe or other flavored liquor of choice at the opera, theater or a dinner party.

-This French liquor flask measures 5.875 inches (14.9 cm) tall by 2.875 inches (7.3 cm) wide.

-This magnificent piece of antique French silver was made by the renowned firm of Gustave Keller, also known as Keller Frères.  Gustave Keller was headquartered in Paris on 22 Rue Joubert from 1891 until sometime during the 1920s.  The firm of Gustave Keller was famous, winning prestigious awards at the 1889 and 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle.  The last Russian Czar, Nicholas II, also admired the firm of Gustave Keller and often bought items from them.

-This antique French liquor flask is stamped with the French 1st quality hallmark on both its lid and base, indicating that it is made from high purity, 950 fine solid silver.  The interior of the silver parts are also richly gilded.  These are exactly the attributes you would expect for such a fine piece of antique French silver.

-Given that the restrained, geometric style of this French liquor flask seems to foreshadow the starkly linear design language of Art Deco, I would tentatively date it to around the World War I era.  However, it could conceivably have been produced anywhere from about 1900 to 1922, the last active date for its hallmarks.

-Some antiques perfectly embody the zeitgeist of their time, possessing that conspicuous “it” factor.  This silver and glass French liquor flask is one of those antiques.  You can clearly imagine a jaded French World War I soldier fresh from the trenches who is sitting in a dingy Parisian café taking liquor shots from this flask in order to forget the horrors he has seen.

 

Cons:

-This French liquor flask is almost perfect…almost.  Unfortunately, it violates one of the five rules of investment grade antiques.  The glass portion is not durable, relatively speaking.  This reduces the desirability of the piece from an investment standpoint.  However, because it is nearly so perfect in every other aspect, I would still consider this antique French liquor flask a reasonable investment at only $596.

Solid Gold and Gemstone Set Signed Modernist Pendant

Solid Gold and Gemstone Set Signed Modernist Pendant
Photo Credit: silverpaw

Solid Gold and Gemstone Set Signed Modernist Pendant

Buy It Now Price: $849 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This captivating, solid gold, signed Modernist pendant is set with pink tourmaline, amethyst, Australian black opal and iolite cabochons, along with two Akoya pearls.

-The piece measures 1.475 inches (3.75 cm) long by 0.675 inches (1.71 cm) wide.  The total weight of the pendant is 5.3 grams (0.1704 troy ounces).

-This signed Modernist pendant is a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted designer piece by the self-taught jeweler Debbie Noiseux.  Debbie Noiseux’s work is characterized by elegant, flowing goldwork that is set with gems of varying color, texture and transparency.  These seemingly disparate elements inevitably resolve into an alluring and desirable Modernist piece.

–Modernist jewelry is unconventional, often featuring wildly different forms, colors and textures – sometimes in the same piece.  But, generally speaking, Modernist jewelry always strives for maximum visual impact without regard for the intrinsic value of materials, conventions of style or other rules typical of traditional jewelry.

-The gemstones in this signed Modernist pendant are set in 22 karat (91.67%) yellow gold, which frames the gems with a rich, deep golden color that really catches the eye.  The remainder of the pendant is constructed from 14 karat (58.3%) yellow gold.

-This signed Modernist pendant has a provenance!  According to the seller, it was originally purchased from The Vault Gallery in downtown Santa Cruz, California, circa 1993.  The Vault Gallery opened in 1973 and operated until 2011, when the art gallery succumbed to the same trends decimating physical antique stores.

-The designer pendant was purchased (presumably new) from The Vault Gallery in 1993 for $860.  However, the asking price today, fully 24 years later, is only $849.  This is a great opportunity to purchase an investment grade, signed Modernist pendant for early 1990s pricing!  The current, stable prices for tangible assets are undoubtedly fleeting, yet are often taken for granted by citizens of developed nations – much to the consternation of those living in less stable, inflation-prone economies.

-Good, hand-crafted designer jewelry is getting harder and harder to find for less than $1,000.  I think it is inevitable that prices will rise.  This signed Modernist pendant is an excellent chance to invest in a fine example at a reasonable, sub-$1,000 price.

 

Cons:

-It is extremely difficult to accurately estimate the intrinsic value of this piece of jewelry.  I think there is probably at least 4.3 grams of gold in the pendant after deducting the weight of the stones.  With gold trading at $1,285 per troy ounce, this gives a melt value of about $130.  Even though the contained gems are of fair to good quality, most of them are worth very little.  The Akoya pearls and amethyst cabochon are of minimal value, just a few dollars at most.  The pink tourmaline and iolite gems are probably worth between $20 and $30 together.  The Australian black opal is almost certainly the most valuable stone, with a (very, very loosely) estimated value of $50 to $200.  This gives a tentative intrinsic value for the entire pendant of $200 to $360.  In any case, this wonderful, signed Modernist pendant is worth far more as an intact work of art than it would ever be broken up into its component parts.

Magnificent Set of Antique Silver-Gilt French Empire Teaspoons

Magnificent Set of Antique Silver-Gilt French Empire Teaspoons
Photo Credit: Only-At-The-Antique-Boutique

Magnificent Set of Antique Silver-Gilt French Empire Teaspoons

Buy It Now Price: $596.25 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Here is a magnificent set of one dozen silver-gilt antique French Empire teaspoons.  They are covered with sumptuous scallop and bright-cut engraved decoration, even their bowls.  The effect is not only absolutely stunning, but also completely in character with their 1830s to 1850s provenance.

-These French Empire teaspoons or coffee spoons measure 5.625 inches (14.3 cm) in length and weigh 303.6 grams (9.76 troy ounces) in total.  With silver currently trading at $16.62 per troy ounce, the entire set contains about $154 worth of silver.

–The French Empire style evolved from Neo-Classical design and was dominant during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I, circa 1800 to 1815.  It spanned the entirety of the visual arts, from monumental architecture to furniture and interior design to the minor arts like silverware.  French Empire style tapped the grandeur of ancient Rome and Egypt for its inspiration and was far less austere or restrained than its Neo-Classical predecessor.  The French Empire style was popular both in France and internationally; it experienced intermittent revivals through the 1860s.

-These silver-gilt French Empire teaspoons are hallmarked with the iconic French 1st quality Minerva hallmark, indicating 950 fine, solid silver construction.  This is a higher purity than the world-renowned sterling silver (925 fine) standard.

-The quality of these silver-gilt French Empire teaspoons is incredibly high.  Not only does the craftsmanship represent the pinnacle of early to mid 19th century Continental European silversmithing, but each individual spoon also weighs 25.3 grams (0.813 troy ounces) – a very heavy weight for a silver spoon intended for tea, coffee or dessert.

-Because these antique silver-gilt French Empire teaspoons were made sometime before 1860, there is a fair chance that they were created using the long-lost mercury gilding technique.  This superior method of gold plating was abandoned by the late 19th century because it was toxic to gilders.  However, any silver-gilt item created via mercury gilding is completely safe for regular use, even in direct contact with food or drink.

-Given the way these gorgeous 175 year old antique silver teaspoons perfectly capture the French Empire style, I think the asking price of just under $600 is quite reasonable, if not a bargain.

 

Cons:

-This set of French Empire teaspoons is actually two separate 6-piece sets made by different Paris-based silversmiths at around the same time.  The first silversmith was Edmond Jamet, who worked between 1831 and 1847 at 15 place Dauphine.  The second maker, Louis-Patient Cottat, was active from 1831 to 1866 at 47 quai de l’Horloge.  Some purists might consider this an assembled set and, therefore, of lower value.  I disagree with this assessment.  These French Empire teaspoons match perfectly and, even if crafted by different silversmiths, were still made more-or-less contemporaneously with one another.  In my opinion, it would be foolish to denigrate this set of exquisite antique French silver teaspoons just because of this minor historical quirk.

-These teaspoons are monogrammed on their backs with the initials “MD”.  Some antique collectors will not purchase fine, old silver with monograms because they feel it impinges on the “purity” of the piece.  I think monograms add to the history of a piece and shouldn’t impact their value.