A Pendant, a Tea Set, and Star Trek

Louis Comfort Tiffany Necklace, ca. 1900

It’s been awhile since I last watched Antiques Roadshow, but last night I turned it on and there were a few beauties.

First I have to mention the fabulous pendant believed to be made by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself. There is a stunning black opal as the centerpiece and then acid green garnets surrounding the setting. The wirework around the setting repeats on the reverse of the pendant as well.

The next thing that really caught my eye was a silver tea service by Georg Jensen.

Georg Jensen Silver Set, ca. 1920

Each piece had these cool crowns on them and the handles for the tea and coffee pots and the creamer stuck out from the sides. Those pieces just had such personality to them. I felt like they could hop over and pour themselves.

There was also a collection of Star Trek memorabilia and and etching depicting a General’s death from the Revolutionary war. I didn’t particularly like the etching, but in the close-ups the detail was just so fine. It amazed me all over again how talented printmakers of the past were. (Not that modern printmakers aren’t as well, but there’s rarely such attention to fine detail that is etched by hand anymore.)

Now I just need to remember to turn to PBS on Monday nights again so I can get blown away by craftsmanship, exposed to previously unknown (to me) artists, and just have a fun time trying to guess how much each piece is worth.