Editor’s Picks – Part 2. Feb 2023

One of the major exporters of the well-loved and stunning lapidary material from Madagascar and Brazil, Rob Sielecki, a Melbourne, Australia-based dealer and collector, picked out the finest material to be turned into beautifully prepared Quartz spheres. One outstanding specimen in Sielecki’s collection is this striking Rutile, Chlorite, Feldspar Quartz sphere from Madagascar. The Rutile is a shining vermillion, exceptionally metallic and sprawling through the Quartz in a series of red needles. Accenting the Rutile are deposits of mossy-green Chlorite and several bright white Feldspar crystals.

Rutile, Chlorite, Feldspar, Quartz Sphere
13.3 cm in diameter (5.25 in)
Estimate: $12,000+
Auction: March 7

From the Estate of Veronique and Gregory Peck comes a Black, Starr & Gorham sterling silver box gifted to the Pecks by their best friends on the couple’s 25th anniversary. Among the gift-givers: Barbara and Frank Sinatra, Johnny and Joanna Carson, Billy and Audrey Wilder, Cary Grant, Walter and Carol Matthau, Rod and Alana Stewart, and many others. Its lid is engraved with Veronique and Gregory’s names and the date December 31, 1980; the box itself is engraved with the signatures of the couple’s dearest friends.

Black, Starr & Gorham Sterling Silver Box
Presented to Gregory and Veronique Peck on their 25th wedding anniversary
Auction: February 23

The natural wonders of America’s national parks remained a source of inspiration throughout Ansel Adams’ life. The photographer and environmentalist was especially fond of Yosemite National Park, where, shortly after his 1984 death, an 11,760-foot peak was named Mount Ansel Adams in his honor. One of his most iconic photographs, Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, which he snapped from halfway across Yosemite’s Old Sentinel Bridge in 1938, offers a snowy look at one of the California park’s most well-known rock formations.

Ansel Adams Half Dome, Merced River, Winter, 1938
Gelatin silver print
7-1/4 x 9 inches (18.4 x 22.9 cm)
Estimate: $3,000-$5,000
Auction: March 8