Buying · Consignment · Appraisal
For nearly a century, Laykin et Cie has been among the foremost collectors and dealers of fine estate jewelry in the United States — with a particular emphasis on original Laykin pieces, and on the great Hollywood estates that defined an era of American glamour. We buy outright and accept pieces on consignment, and we welcome every inquiry.
The Estate Division
Son of the founder · Director of Estates for four decades
The estate practice at Laykin et Cie was built largely by Joel Laykin — son of the founder, Sol Laykin — who devoted four decades to traveling the country, identifying exceptional pieces, and acquiring the jeweled holdings of significant collections. Where Sol had built the firm's reputation with new commissions and living clients, Joel extended it backward through history: into the trunks, safe deposit boxes, and family holdings of an earlier generation of American wealth.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Joel Laykin organized estate presentation shows in cities across the country — working in partnership with distinguished family-owned jewelry firms that had themselves been in business for a century or more. These were not trade shows. They were curated events, held in the tradition of the great jewelry presentations, at which exceptional estate pieces — pieces that might otherwise never come to market — were made available to serious collectors.
Because Laykin had served so many of Hollywood's great figures over the decades — and because the firm was trusted by the families, banks, and trustees who administered their estates — Joel was uniquely positioned to acquire collections that would not have been accessible to others. The estates of Marion Davies. Joan Crawford. Sonja Henie. Mary Pickford. Bette Davis. Clients who had worn Laykin jewels in life; whose families turned to Laykin when the time came to dispose of them with care.
That tradition continues. Laykin et Cie remains an active buyer of fine estate jewelry — with particular interest in original Laykin pieces — and we bring the same discretion and seriousness to every inquiry that Joel Laykin brought to his work.
Joel Laykin · 1967 · On the road acquiring estates
One of thousands of such sessions conducted across the country
From the Collection
The pieces shown here are representative of the Laykin et Cie estate collection — original works from our own atelier, and exceptional period pieces acquired over decades of careful collecting. Each is unique. We are always interested in acquiring more.
Platinum · Diamonds · Sapphires
Circa 1930s
A museum-quality Art Deco bracelet in platinum, set throughout with old-cut diamonds and accented at each panel with a bezel-set oval sapphire of deep royal blue. The architectural geometry of the links — octagonal panels, milgrain borders, open geometric windows — is characteristic of the finest Deco work of the period. A piece of extraordinary presence.
Silver · Swiss Movement
Circa 1940s
A Laykin et Cie-signed chronograph pocket watch with a multi-register white dial — elapsed minutes, running seconds, and a tachymeter scale — in a polished silver case with crown and two side pushers. Laykin et Cie timepieces of this period are among the rarest and most sought-after items in the firm's estate collection.
18k Yellow Gold · Diamonds
Introduced 1950s · In production for decades
One of the signature pieces of the Laykin atelier: a naturalistic pine branch in heavily textured 18k yellow gold, bearing seven pine cones and accented with round brilliant diamonds nestled among the needles. Produced continuously from the 1950s through subsequent decades, the pine cone brooch became a defining piece of the house — worn by generations of Laykin clients throughout California and the country.
18k Yellow Gold · Ruby Eyes · Sapphire Eyes on Reverse
Designed 1950s · Still in Production
Designed by Pablo Picasso for Laykin et Cie in the 1950s — during a remarkable period in which Laykin collaborated with a number of the foremost artists of the era, including Salvador Dalí — the Sun & Moon Pendant is among the most storied pieces in the Laykin atelier. A large gold sun face with expressive features, ruby eyes, and a radiating crown of open gold rays: joyful, sculptural, and unmistakably of its artistic moment. Available as original vintage pieces in multiple sizes. Still produced by Laykin today and can be ordered in a variety of configurations.
18k Yellow Gold · Citrines · Rubies
Circa 1930s–1940s
A bold Retro-era brooch in 18k yellow gold featuring three large step-cut citrines of rich golden color, framed above by a fan of calibré-cut rubies and below by sweeping gold fringe in the fluid, sculptural style that defines the finest American jewelry of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Dramatic, wearable, and unmistakably of its moment.
We Are Actively Buying
For pieces that meet our standards, we offer prompt payment — outright, in full, at market. No waiting. No auction uncertainty. No percentage held back for eventual sale. We will tell you quickly and plainly what a piece is worth and what we are prepared to pay for it.
For exceptional pieces better suited to the retail market, we offer consignment at competitive terms. Your piece is presented to our clientele — individuals who understand what they are looking at — and you receive the benefit of that reach without the costs of selling it yourself.
Inherited jewels that no longer suit their owner need not be sold. Laykin et Cie has been recrafting heirloom pieces into contemporary forms for generations — resetting stones, reimagining settings, updating proportions — while preserving what matters. We are glad to discuss the possibilities.
We welcome inquiries from
To begin, send us photographs of your piece or pieces along with any provenance you have — original receipts, appraisals, documentation of prior ownership — and we will respond promptly with our assessment. All inquiries are held in the strictest confidence.
