Estate, celebrity jewelry featured at Karen’s Jewelers on Friday, Saturday

 

Estate jewelry that once belonged to Joan Rivers, Ringo Starr, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Greta Garbo, among many others, will be featured at an Estate Jewelry Show and Sale on Friday and Saturday at Karen’s Jewelers in Oak Ridge.

The Estate Jewelry Show and Sale will be held from 2-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31, and from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 1. The show presents a $3 million collection of antique, vintage, and contemporary estate jewelry, a press release said. Rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, and necklaces will be among hundreds of pieces on display, with prices starting at $500. A wide selection of colors of gems and karats of gold will be included.

Among the treasures will be jewelry that once belonged to the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his actress wife, Barbara Bach, who portrayed a Bond girl in the film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” the press release said. The jewelry was auctioned when the couple sold their home in England, with auction proceeds going to charity.

Also featured will be pieces of signed jewelry, vintage engagement rings, pearls, cameos, diamonds, gold, gems, platinum, and filigree designs gathered from estates around the world, according to Martha Hart of Karen’s Jewelers. Jewelry reflecting the beauty and craftsmanship from Victorian, Art Nouveau, Belle Époque, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Retro eras through the late 20th century will be featured at the event.

During the Victorian era, the 1849 gold rush helped make yellow gold the metal of choice. Black was also in after Queen Victoria’s husband died, and England mourned with her for decades. Black enamel and jet jewelry were among fashion statements of the day, Hart said, and pearls represented tears for the departed.

The casual look was important by the late 20th century, when gold and mixed metals that could be worn day or night were popular, Hart noted. Movies like “The Great Gatsby” and “Funny Girl” encouraged retro jewelry, and diamonds were still beloved as interest in other gems grew.

Jewelry is considered estate jewelry if it is previously owned, though not always from an estate, according to Hart. Such jewelry may not always be antique jewelry, which is at least 100 years old. Many one-of-a-kind selections of older jewelry, often hand-made by master craftsmen, will be shown during the event, and usually a savings can be passed along to customers on many pieces of older jewelry that were probably acquired at prices below today’s market, Hart said.

For more information about the event, to request that a specific gem or jewelry from a specific period be available, or to request an appointment the day of the show and sale, contact Karen’s Jewelers at (865) 483-6717. Also, see the website at www.karensjewelers.com.

Karen’s Jewelers is located at 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

This press release was submitted by Kay Brookshire.