Estate Sales & Auction Blog

In the world of interior design, blending the past and the present is an art form. Few people understand this better than Amal Kapen, of Amal Kapen Interiors, a renowned "new traditionalist" designer based in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. Join as she shares her expertise, design insights, and passion for preserving the charm of antiques in contemporary spaces with this.

In this edition of Complementary. Guest Curations, we asked Luis Enrique Hill, a New York-based interior designer to select some current auction items to help you create a glamorous, sophisticated and classic look in your home.

Some terms don't necessarily fall into the neat categories of gemology or metallurgy, but are nonetheless good to know. We've collected some miscellaneous jewelry terms -- most of them have to do with embellishments. Here are our terms of miscellany.

Since the dawn of the Bronze Age, metals (precious, semi-precious, and non-precious) have become ubiquitous with jewelry. From tin to gold, popularity and values of metals ebb and flow. In our sixth installment of our jewelry series, learn some key terms and metals used in jewelry today.

When it comes to jewelry, knowledge is definitely power! How can you tell the difference between something that is pure versus plated? How can you determine the difference between a real diamond versus some of the really beautiful modern-day high-end cubic zirconias on the market? It just so happens, that BRG has its own jewelry lab and now we're giving you an inside peek inside.

This might be a “made for Hollywood” story based right in Cortlandt Manor, New York with acclaimed hotelier, Claude Philippe, as the main character. Decades after the fully furnished estate was passed to the husband of Philippe’s widow, many of the original contents (hand-picked and curated by Philippe himself) remained relatively untouched — down to the collection of Philippe’s cuff links discovered in the closet.

For coin connoisseurs, there is something fascinating about the design, the weight, the feel of coins in their hands. Whether it’s the overall mint or the types of metals used, collectors love the hunt for special pieces to add to their collections. Do you have a collection or rare coin (or two) ...?