Blue-Chip Collections of Antique Silver and Jewelry from Princeton's Specialty Retailer to the Stars to Be Auctioned Sept. 27-28
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- From Einstein to Springsteen – that describes the powerful celebrity clientele that patronized The Silver Shop during its long and distinguished run. Since opening in 1937 on Princeton's leafy Palmer Square, the shop's discriminating customers have included not only blue-blooded Princetonians but also entertainers, politicians and design luminaries from around the world. The Silver Shop was the sort of quietly elite establishment where, in its earlier days, one might bump into Sir Laurence Olivier or members of the Guggenheim family, browsing the upscale wares. Later, it became a favored gift emporium for numerous New Jersey governors and tastemakers like Frank Gehry, Martha Stewart and Michael Graves. Never far from its low-key elegance was Brooke Shields, who lived above the shop while a student at Princeton.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140919/147240
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140919/147241
After 77 years, The Silver Shop closed its doors last May, upon the announcement of its owner's retirement. Over the weekends of Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 11-12, its private collections, remaining goods and even showcases will be auctioned in Philadelphia. Material Culture – the firm that hosted the high-profile March sale of director Jonathan Demme's art collection – will conduct the event.
A special preview and "farewell to Princeton" reception at Princeton's Academy of the Sacred Heart will be held on Sept. 22. Afterwards, the auction goods will be transported to Philadelphia.
During the Art Deco era, nearly every upscale city in America had one store that was regarded as the most exclusive place to go for fine silver and jewelry, explained Material Culture's founder and owner George Jevremovic. "But over time, with the retail flight to suburban shopping malls, those sorts of establishments closed, one by one. The Silver Shop would have closed in 2000, had it not been for its fourth owner, Salvatore Pitts, who stepped in at the last minute to rescue it," Jevremovic said. "Now Mr. Pitts has decided to retire and spend his time traveling."
A lux array of antique silver will serve as the centerpiece of both the October and November auctions. There are hundreds of superbly crafted pieces by Tiffany, J.E. Caldwell, Cartier, Georg Jensen, Buccellati and other premier silversmiths, as well as Russian-style silver icons by Henryk Winograd and an 1896 Russian silver cross by Anatoly Andropovic.
The Silver Shop's previous owner, the late Arthur Colletti, owned the renowned Pompey Collection of French porcelain and Sable Collection of American porcelain. The majority of Colletti's porcelain holdings were sold at Christie's in May 2002 for world-record prices, but the portion he retained conveyed with the sale of the shop to Pitts and will be included in Material Culture's auction inventory. There are many rare and one-off pieces in the collection.
The shop's trove of jewelry includes hundreds of pieces of handmade antique, vintage and modern jewelry, with exquisite designs by Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Munz and Georg Jensen.
For additional information call 215-438-4700 or email.
Web: www.materialculture.com. View the auction catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
SOURCE Material Culture
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