BLACK OPAL, PEARL AND EMERALD BROOCH/PENDANT—"THE FAIRY BRIDE"

Designed and fabricated by Angela Conty
An uncompromising attention to detail is evident in this exceptional and unique brooch/pendant. The wings of the Fairy Bride are formed of carved sections of Lightning Ridge black opal from Australia, the reverse side is pierced to permit the transmission of light. Her bouquet is formed of small emerald and iolite beads suspending a small tassel of cultured freshwater pearls. Clothed in a diaphanous gown fabricated of 18K yellow gold, she rests atop a large South Seas keshi pearl, signed Conty, height 3 ¾ in.

Provenance: Originally purchased from Bonhams May 27, 2010: www.bonhams.com/auctions/18252/lot/1316/

Angela Conty
Angela's jewelry roots trace back more than 40 years to undergraduate and graduate work in Art at SUNY New Paltz. Exploring design and fabrication in the jewelry and lapidary arts her works have been nationally and internationally exhibited and collected. As an Italian-born American, Angela expresses influences of both cultures in her work. Her designs have been featured in several magazine and book publications, including Oppi Untracht's Jewelry, Concepts and Technologies, Renée Newman's Pearl Buying Guide, Fred Ward's Phenomenal Gems, and a JCK cover. Her most current accolades include a 2002 AGTA Cutting Edge 2nd place in the Objects of Art Division and the 2009 Grand Prize in the Headley Whitney Museum Bibelot Design Competition. Angela's floral fantasies often begin with a walk in the woods. A grandchild spotting a special twig and bringing it to grandma for inspection will start a flood of possible designs. Finding a fallen leaf during a morning of garden maintenance will contribute an interesting texture. A bit of seaweed washed ashore after a storm may provide an undulating line. All pieces begin and end with her interaction with the natural world.

GLORIA MANNEY

Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her "one of a kind" or said, "they don't make 'em like her anymore." She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.

Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th Century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Met and The Art Institute of Chicago.

But above all the objects in their lives, Opals were Gloria's first and foremost passion from childhood. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find opals. And the opals found her.