BLOG
Finds and Interests
Our WorthPoint Price Guide updates daily, with thousands of new items streaming in from our Industry Partners. I like to try to single out a few of my favorites to share with our followers. Whenever there is an interesting sale, there is usually an equally interesting story. Sharing my passion for antique and vintage items is the best part of my job. This necklace, from an era known for beauty and culture, is something we don’t often hear about. Take a look at this sale.
Whether it’s a classic stained-glass window, an ornate lamp, or a vintage find in the iconic blue box, Tiffany pieces are always considered special. Our friends at Ripley Auctions, one of our key Industry Partners, recently auctioned a necklace that is everything we love about Tiffany: elegant, storied, and evocative of the Belle Époque in art, culture, and design.
Delving into the details, the necklace, described as “showstopping,” contains a total of 16.30 carats of diamonds set in platinum. A center drop with a bezel-set diamond on either end is asymmetrical, a deliberate design feature that draws the eye. The bib-style piece also includes a set of detachable stones in a pattern that can be worn on the piece or as earrings.
The necklace is in remarkable condition, and when the bidding ended, one bidder became the next owner of an iconic piece by a brand that defines luxury and class. The final price, inclusive of the Buyer’s Premium, was $78,125.00.
Reflecting on its rich history, the necklace would have been the height of elegance around the turn of the 20th century, and with the popularity of shows like The Gilded Age and Bridgerton, the look of opulence is “on trend,” even if we don’t see these pieces every day. At the time, jewels were a way for prominent families to show what they had, just as their mansions, art collections, and fashions were.
At the 2025 Oscars, for her first steps on the red carpet, actress Elle Fanning wore a vintage Cartier necklace that some say resembles a set owned by the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson. Rumors abound that the Duchess may have returned the pieces to Cartier, but they are unconfirmed.
These connections between the past and present suggest that with the trend towards high-end vintage jewelry on the red carpet and at Hollywood events, we might see more of these items hit the auction block. While many of them remain out of reach for the average buyer, it’s fun to live vicariously through these sales and imagine the people who wore them, owned them, and created them.