This delicately carved blond tortoiseshell comb with 18-karat gold pique, c.1890, sold for $258.88 on Nov. 11. You may refer to Auction #220168340896.



This beautiful blond tortoiseshell hairpin with 14-karat gold decoration and a bar of sapphire and diamonds attached, sold for $229.38 on Nov. 11. You may refer to Auction #220168352193. I thought this one was ridiculously underpriced. I wonder where everyone was.



This Meiji gold, silver, and coral bira bira kanzashi went for $305 on Oct. 22. You may refer to Auction #300161851114.



I’m buying this Japanese silver, gold plate, and black enamel Showa set from Shigeru’s brother in Japan. I liked the 3-dimensional quality of it. Lotus flowers in a pool of water.



I’m also in installment payments to buy this, a total Barbara piece. It’s Regency, c.1820, a floral spray with rhinestones. One of those flamboyant things I had to have, or I’d die. But it seems I’m that way with everything I love. When the Prince Regent, George, stepped in after his father George III went mad in 1811and then ruled from 1820 – 1830, England named the fashion period, Regency, after him.

I’m in the mood for the unusual today, so I thought I’d showcase a few combs that are flamboyant variations of the ones we usually see.

These silver and gold kanzashi from the Meiji era are over-the-top attachments to silver pins. They have 16-petal chrysanthemums, leaves, gold branches, and fringe. They were sold on Trocadero for a ridiculous price because I know this dealer. ;-) I didn’t buy them, though. :-(



This tortoiseshell comb boasts 3 carved shell cameos, one of Athena and two of Flora. It sold for $1295 on Ruby Lane, even with two slightly broken tines and a seperation in the  scrolled ornamentation at the top. The dealer thought it was French, 1860. I am not sure. With  the craze surrounding archeological discoveries that took over Victorian England, it might be English. I’m undecided, but I love it.





This one I am buying. It’s a Victorian Algerian, c. 1870. As aluminum was discovered in 1827, when this was made, the metal was more valuable than gold. Alas, today, the materials in this comb are worth about 35 cents, but I had never seen one like it, and I had to have it. :-) The leaves are acanthus leaves, after Cesar’s headpiece. The chains are silver, and the beads are turquoise-colored glass. I guess one wore this with a toga-like white gown.



This Edo tortoiseshell comb with a silver- and gold-plated copper frame, decorated with coral beads, sold on ebay for $1000 on Oct 15.



I thought this celluloid comb had humor and originality. It is English, c. 1890, and sold on ebay as part of a 7-piece lot.



And last, becuase I must, a flamboyant 19th-century tiara of 18K gold with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, garnets, and topaz. I loved all the colors. :-) It is available for sale at a jewelry store on Madison Ave. in Manhattan, which was featured in a NOVA special on diamonds, as having one piece of the French crown jewels.

 

There have been some lovely things on ebay recently.

A wonderful 14K gold griffin on a silver base, attached to a tortoiseshell comb sold for $550 on Sept. 27. It has a diamond in its mouth, diamonds on the wings, and a ruby cabachon eye. You may refer to Item #170151496226.





A beautiful Meiji silver-and-gold kanzashi set depicting a bowl, vase, and spoon sold for $465 on Sept. 26. Only one is pictured here so you can see the closeup. You may refer to Item #300153292268.



This Victorian garnet tiara hinged on a tortoiseshell comb just sold for $308 on Sept 24. Excellent price for such a lovely star-laden tiara design.You may refer to item #170150463040.



This beautiful Edo kogai stick sold for $660 on Sept 17. It is made of tortoiseshell and decorated with apricot flowers. If you look at the closeup, you can see that little bell flower with the pistels. These painted flowers have the same design as the carved flowers on both shell kanzashi, and the bakelite kanzashi from those Japanese wedding sets they made in the 1940s. You may refer to item #110168679851.





This ivory Edo kogai stick with gold maki-e paint and inlaid jade and coral sold for $300 on Sept. 17. You may refer to Item #330164680560.



This lovely carved shell floral design on a Meiji set went for $152 on August 30. The stick in between the kogai pieces is wood. There are bug bites on the shell kushi, and that brings the price down considerably. In perfect condition, this would have gone much higher, but I thought $152 was an excellent price for this.



This is a gorgeous piece. The Meiji tortoiseshell kushi depicts waves and is inlaid with pearl. Excellent Condition. It sold for $646 on Sept 22. You may refer to Item #300151918225.



And finally, for today :-), this beautiful Victorian ivory comb sold for $355 (I lost, sadly) on Sept 21. You may refer to Item #290161590846.

There have been some lovely silver and coral kanzashi selling for excellent prices on ebay. Very unique objects, such as a man-with-hat and an instrument, were attached to the hairpins. The Meiji man-with-hat went unsold at $350, whereas the Edo kanzashi of a Japanese traditional instrument with fish carved into the hairpin itself sold for $390. The shell bird kanzashi with gold makie went for $293.








Two elaborately carved Meiji tortoiseshell kushis also sold, but at very different prices. The first one had a complex design of fans and flowers, no bug bites, and was signed. The second one had an elaborate floral design of chrysanthemums and peonies, a few bug bites, and was not signed. There was a significant price differential. Kushi #1: $577 on July 14; Kushi #2: $127.50 on July 15.





There was also a lovely brass Victorian tiara, which went unsold at a starting bid of $275.



A beautifully balanced design marks this lacquer over shell signed Meiji set, which sold for $283.



And I will end this post with two more museum-quality blond tortoiseshell kanzashi ornaments of plover birds flying over the sea.