Adam's Fine Jewellery & Watches 5th December 2023

T uesday 5 th D ecember 2023 . S tarting at 4 pm 64 78 A BANGLE AND PAIR OF EARCLIPS, BY ANGELA CUMMINGS, FOR TIFFANY & CO. 1978 The bangle with diagonally striped pattern and scrolled terminal, signed Tiffany & Co, 78, inner diameter approximately 5.5cm, inner circumfer- ence approximately 13cm ; the ear clips of circular form and concave design with horizontally striped pattern, signed Tiffany & Co, 78 diameter of earclip head approximately 2.5cm, with maker’s pouch and outer boxes € 800 - 1,000 79 A PAIR OF GOLD EARCLIPS, BY HERMÈS, CIRCA 1970 Each composed of two openwork hoops with ropetwist detailing, in 18K gold, signed Hermès Paris, indistinct maker’s mark, French assay marks, length 2.8cm € 2,800 - 3,200 Angela Cummings was born in Klagenfurt, Austria in 1944 and raised in Washington DC. She made her return to Europe in her early adulthood where she studied fine art in Perugia, Italy, at Accademia di Belle Arti and then continued her education at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie in Hanau, Germany, where she studied gemmology and jewellery mak- ing. In 1967 she joined Tiffany & Co. in New York to work with the lead designer at the time, Donald Claf lin, working un- der his guidance for many years. In 1975 Cummings designed her first jewellery collection under her name for Tiffany’s, all inspired by nature, architecture, and textiles. Her beautiful jewels featured a lot of colourful gems such as jade, lapis lazu- li, mother of pearl, coral, opals, and wood. One of her most famous pieces is her mosaic bangles and necklaces, inspired by Venice’s breathtaking, historic buildings. In 1978 Cumming’s released her Laser Lines collection with Tiffany’s, referred to as “the first truly 20th century jewel- lery”. She employed a technique using a laser beam to allow for the first time, for diverse metals to be bonded together. A medley of metals were combined; gold, silver, copper, and brass and fashioned into new designs.Cummings eventually left Tiffany’s in 1984, remaining as one of the named jew- ellery designers to have worked for the brand, others being Jean Schlumberger, Paloma Picasso, and of course, Elsa Per- etti.Upon leaving Tiffany’s, Cummings started working for her brand, consisting of materials such as silver and hematite to appeal to a larger crowd. She continued building on her success with her new business, selling pieces in renowned department stores worldwide, from Bergdorf Goodman in New York to Harrods in London. Eventually, she retired and closed her company in 2004.