Well about a month ago I fell in love with a bracelet, as I have been sadly all too often known to do, laughingly sent the link to an old friend. He said – ‘Just got the tax refund, you’ve never lost money on antiques, go for it’ which is not only hubris, but sadly untrue, still the support warms my heart.
I made an offer, was turned down, the seller lowered the opening bid and buy it now price, I put in a snipe at just above the opening bid, and figured there was no chance I’d get it. But somehow it was meant to be and I won – now of course all I could think was that I’d been an idiot – no one else bid (what did they know that I missed?)
I’d checked with every vintage puffy heart expert I know – I’d gotten closer pictures – I’d checked on repros and marks and styles to a fare thee well. It was down to nail biting.
The seller shipped lightning fast and I had the package in 2 days:
I took it down for Michelle to see, just to be sure since I’ve only ever sold the odd heart charm, she said 1940’s. Whew!
There was even one more than I had thought – and the engraving even nicer than expected. I put the single damaged one (engraved ‘Bertha’) on my friend Carol’s Veteran’s Bracelet, for the Big Bertha Gun in WW2, and as her broken heart.
The Walter Lampl enamel December heart with poinsettia needs the stone replaced – originally it had a turquoise, but I am considering replacing with a diamond – tell me if you think that’s wise?
Here are pictures as it arrived – dark and dull as pewter (a smoker?)
