SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Turner Auctions + Appraisals will feature the Anita Hellman Collection of Costume and Fine Jewelry, just in time for holiday gift-giving. Offering over 95 lots amassed over 50 years, the collection includes necklaces, bracelets, rings, pendants, brooches and pins, charms and several watches. Many of the pieces feature cultured pearls or precious or semi-precious stones and materials, including gold, platinum, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphire, peridot, jade, aquamarine, garnet, citrine, tiger’s eye and turquoise. The sale also includes watches by Patek Philippe and Bucherer; and hardstone, shell and lava cameos. Among the diverse costume jewelry makers are Kenneth Jay Lane, William De Lillo, Bauer, Joseff of Hollywood, Hattie Carnegie, Eisenberg, Ciner, Trifari, Francisco Rebaje, Cini, Weiss, Coro, and Boucher, Matisse and Renoir. Groupings in the auction include vintage, holiday and Scandinavian collections; hair combs; opera glasses; assorted purses; and beaded necklaces. Items from several other consignors round out the sale.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Saturday, December 16 at 10:30 am PST; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The online auction will be featured live on four platforms: LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, eBay and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps ("Turner Auctions"). All are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website.

Anita Hellman was an enthusiastic collector, teacher, and antique dealer. She and her husband Sedwick, who were residents of Mamaroneck, New York, collected toys, art, dolls and Asian antiques for more than 50 years. Jewelry was a particular passion of Mrs. Hellman’s – both the costume and fine jewelry in this sale, and Southwest jewelry, which will be offered in an upcoming 2018 sale.

Born and raised in New York, Anita Hellman graduated from UCLA and received a post-graduate teaching certificate from Columbia University. Her initial career was as an elementary schoolteacher at the Osborn School in Rye, a top public school in New York, where she taught for 28 years. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Hellman ran Hellman & Hellman Antiques in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, New York, on the weekends for about 20 years. Along the way, Mrs. Hellman, a flamboyant beauty with striking red hair, was recognized in other areas as well, being named “Miss Guided Missile” at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami, Florida, around 1960.

During summer vacations when school was out, the Hellmans made collecting a fun family affair, taking their son Jaime, now a TV producer in New York, on cross-country collecting trips from New York to California and Maine to Louisiana for a month or two at a time. During their forays in the mid-1960s to early-1970s, the family traveled in their ‘home away from home’ – first a small International Harvester school bus, converted with beds and a kitchen; then in one of the first commercially built motor homes. At their home in New York, among the collected treasures sourced on the road were a totem pole and a merry-go-round horse.

Mrs. Hellman’s vast jewelry collection was acquired over decades along the way – at estate sales, garage sales, farmers’ auctions, flea markets, and even by invitation at the Salvation Army’s headquarters in Delaware. Her zeal for jewelry was eclectic and diverse in style: if she liked a piece, it sparked her interest, and she could see herself wearing it, she would consider buying it. And, as Jaime and his wife Barbara learned from researching Mrs. Hellman’s jewelry collection, she had an excellent eye for quality and design – purchasing the top names in costume jewelry from the 1920s-1960s and beyond.

A child of the Depression and its scarcity, Mrs. Hellman liked the ability to acquire items in later life, perhaps leading to her lifelong passion for collecting, which was shared by her husband. Jaime describes her jewelry collection as “enormous,” saying that aside from her wedding ring, he never saw her wear the same piece twice!

Mrs. Hellman passed away in 2015, collecting almost to the last days of her life. Now Jaime is sending her jewelry trove to auction, where it can beautify others as it did his mother. As Jaime say, “It’s time these lovely pieces find new necks and wrists to adorn.”

Here are some highlights of the upcoming sale on December 16:

Lot 3: Victorian pearl 14k gold brooch-pendant and earring set. Set with seed pearls and cultured pearls; earrings are clips; gross weight approximately: 18 grams. Estimate: $300-500.

Lot 60: William de Lillo collar necklace, circa 1970. With green and purple glass, gold plated; width: 1 1/2 in.; length: 16 in. Estimate: $200-300.

Lot 19: Gold coin and 14k gold ring. US 1914 $2 1/2 Buffalo head coin; gross weight approximately: 18 grams; size: 8 ½. Estimate: $350-550.

Lot 6: Citrine, ruby and 14k pink and yellow gold earrings. A pair of retro citrine, ruby and 14k pink and yellow gold earrings. Gross weight approximately: 23 grams; length: 1 3/4in. Estimate: $350-550.

Lot 23: Diamond, ruby and white gold watch bracelet. Circa 1940s, ladies watch bracelet (no watch movement); estimated total diamond weight: 1.25 cts; gold tests as 18k; gross weight: 34 grams. Estimate: $800-1,200.

Lot 62: Kenneth Jay Lane rhinestone necklace. Length: 16 inches. Estimate: $80-100.

Lot 68: Collection of Victorian lava cameo jewelry. Including 2 bracelets, a brooch, a pair of earrings and an unmounted cameo. Estimate: $400-600.

Lot 39: Pair of peridot and 18k gold clip earrings, from Gumps. Weighing approximately: 21 grams; length: 7/8 in. Estimate: $500-700.

Lot 41: 14k gold charm necklace. Composed of 4 bracelets, suspending 14k and 10k gold charms, plus 6 loose charms; gross weight approximately: 134 grams; length as necklace; 34 1/2 in. Estimate: $1,500-2,000.

Lot 45: Patek Philippe Calatrava 18k gold watch. Ref. no. 3410, yellow gold baton hands and indexes; diameter: 34 mm; circa 1960s; with later added stretch band. Estimate: $1,000-1,500.

Lot 43: Diamond and platinum ring. Set with 3 round brilliant-cut diamonds weighing in total approximately: 1.20cts, I/J color and VS (one chipped) together with single and baguette-cut diamonds; estimated total diamond weight: 2.00 cts; signed N&T; ring size: 4 ½. Estimate: $600-1,000.

Lot 24: Rose-cut diamond, enamel & gilt silver bangle bracelet. Estimated total diamond weight: 2.75 cts; width at front: 1 3/8 in.; size: 6 5/8 in. Estimate: $300-500.