Estate Road Show's auction of Louise Graham Fine/Costume Jewelry Collection rescheduled for Dec. 14 Estate Road Show Auctions has rescheduled the auction of fine and costume jewelry from the Estate of Louise Mondani Graham. The sale will now take place on Sunday, Dec. 14.
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Due to an eBay Live applet malfunction that prevented Internet live bidding in their Dec. 7 sale, Estate Road Show Auctions has rescheduled the auction of fine and costume jewelry from the Estate of Louise Mondani Graham. The sale will now take place on Sunday, Dec. 14.
“We apologize for this inconvenience,” said Estate Road Show’s Director of Internet Technology, Michael Whelchel. “The problem was beyond our control and apparently had a negative impact on many auctions held last weekend. Many enthusiastic bidders had been waiting for this sale, and we feel terrible that they were disappointed, but now they will have a second chance on Sunday the 14th. It’s going to be an exciting event.”
The jewelry offering is the first in a series of sales to disperse the remarkable personal collection and early store stock of Connecticut antiques dealer Louise Mondani Graham, who died in August. The initial session will consist entirely of fine and costume jewelry, much of which was purchased in the 1950s and ’60s and stored away in boxes the owner never opened. According to Ann Valverde of Estate Roadshow’s Research & Appraisals department, going through the boxes was “like opening packages on Christmas morning and finding beautiful antique and vintage treasures. Mrs. Graham had exquisite taste and a cultured eye for Art Nouveau and Art Deco design.”
From the mid-1950s until 2005, Graham operated her old-school antiques business, Brass Bugle Antiques, from a well-patronized barn in Cornwall Bridge, Litchfield County, Connecticut. The building gained acclaim after it was chosen to be the subject of an artwork by Graham’s close friend, the noted New England painter Eric Sloane (1905-1985).
The Dec. 14 sale will include approximately 400-500 lots, with the headliner being a Victorian emerald-and-diamond ring often worn by Graham and considered one of her favorite pieces. Set in 18K yellow gold, the ring features a central emerald weighing in excess of 1 carat and accented by six old mine-cut diamonds, two flanking diamonds and fine black enamel around the stones. It has an appraised value of $5,700.
A Victorian pearl necklace featuring two large amethysts, one of them pear shaped and drop style, has appraised at $1,100; while an array of 15 to 20 Italian cameos includes desirable larger types that double as pendants.
“What is wonderful about this collection is that the older pieces are real, not later copies of a period style,” said Valverde. “You can tell that Mrs. Graham wasn’t just in the antiques business; she was also a serious collector who knew exactly what to buy.”
The collection includes many 14K gold Art Nouveau necklaces – some featuring desirable pale turquoise matrix stones – and Krementz 14K gold and enamel brooches from the same era. Other jewelry designs incorporate “huge Bohemian garnets and pale angel-skin coral,” Valverde said. “At first glance, some may think they are looking at beads, but they’re not – the stones are real.”
