SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Turner Auctions + Appraisals will offer the Felicia Michalski Collection of Fine Jewelry, Part 2, on Sunday, April 29. Presenting over 190 lots acquired over six decades, the sale offers fine jewelry for ladies, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, lockets, pendants and wristwatches, buckles, eyeglass frames and jewelry sets. Most are crafted of gold, white or rose gold, platinum or silver, with precious stones and embellishments such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emerald, amethyst, garnets, opal, jade, turquoise, coral, cultured and seed pearls, cameos, rose quartz, moonstone, malachite, tigers eye, tourmaline, enamel, onyx and gold coins.
Also featured are a number of jewelry groupings, including necklaces, bracelets, cameos, brooches, charms, gem-set and gold rings for women and men, pins and stickpins, wristwatches, and gentlemens accessories. There are also several collections of unmounted rubies and sapphires, and other stones.
Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Sunday, April 29, 2018, at 10:30 am PDT; items in the sale 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 companys website.
The life of Felicia Michalski reads like a suspense novel, particularly during the war years. Born in Gostynin, Poland, in 1919, she survived the Holocaust, capture by the Russians who sent her to Siberia as slave labor, gangrene and typhus. In 1942, she married Joseph Michalski, who also had been a Russian prisoner of war, then had two of their three sons. In 1949, the family went to America, ending up in San Francisco, where life gradually became better.
Living in California after the war, Felicia developed a serious collecting passion. According to her son Henry, Mrs. Michalski was known for her exceptional eye, a natural love of beauty, and an unrelenting desire to acquire. Among her many collecting pursuits, jewelry was her favorite. Part 2 of the Felicia Michalski Collection of Fine Jewelry features many of the treasured adornments she collected over 60 years.
Here are some highlights of the upcoming sale on April 29 (see details in the online catalog):
Lot 1: Jade, coral and 14k gold brooch, attributed to Gump's. Length: 2 ¾ in; unsigned, with Gump's box. Estimate: $300-500.
Lot 44: Art Deco aquamarine, 14k gold negligee necklace, Russia. Circa 1915, with Russian assay mark and partial workmaster mark; length: 17 1/2in. Estimate: $700-900.
Lot 76: Pair of Victorian turquoise and 14k gold bombe earrings. Length: 1 in. Estimate: $200-300.
Lot 52: Three coral cameo and 14k gold brooch-pendants. Gross weight approximately 42.5g; lengths: 1 1/4 to 2 in. Estimate: $500-700.
Lot 81: Gold coin, diamond, red stone and 14k gold bracelet. Gross weight approximately 26.4g; length: 7 ½ in. Estimate: $500-700.
Lot 61: Collection of Victorian tracery enamel gold buckles. Comprising 5 black and white enamel, in 14k and one 10k gold; gross weight approximately 99.4g. Estimate: $1,500-1,800.
Lot 75: Collection of Bohemian garnet jewelry. Set in 14k gold, 10k gold and metal; comprising a pendantnecklace, a pair of earrings, a bangle bracelet, a brooch and a ring. Estimate: $400-600.
Lot 175: Diamond and platinum engagement ring. Round brilliant-cut diamond approximately: 0.50ct; total diamond weight approximately: 1.00ct.; size: 6 ¼. Estimate: $600-800.
Lot 127: 18k Gold bracelet with charms. Suspending 15 stone-set charms and 12 loose charms of 18k, 14k, 10k and metal; gross weight approximately 40g; bracelet length: 8 ¼ in. Estimate: $600-800.
Lot 70: Victorian enamel, diamond, gold and silver bracelet. Flexible bangle bracelet of 14k gold with enamel tracery, with an applied diamond-set silver ornament; areas with significant wear. Gross weight approximately 27.5g; length: 6 in; width: 7/8 in. Estimate: $500-700.
Lot 58: Opal, diamond, sapphire and 14k gold ring. Estimated single-cut diamond weight: 0.40ct; gross weight approximately 9.9g; length: 1 ½ in; size 7 ½. Estimate: $300-500.