Upcoming auctions
Located in downtown New Orleans, Crescent City Auction Gallery’s staff and auctioneers have more than 50 years combined experience in the antique and auction business. The locally owned and operated company specializes in local estates, Southern and New Orleans fine art, pottery, furniture, bric-a-brac and jewelry to name a few.
Recent auctions include the estate of John W. Keefe, the curator for New Orleans Museum of Art since 1982, which included vintage jewelry, art and furniture, and a rare Newcomb College vase circa 1902 by Marie de Hoa LeBlanc.
To view upcoming auctions, visit crescentcityauctiongallery.com.
Information, 1015 Julia St., 529-5057, crescentcityauctiongallery.com.
– Samantha Hyde
Symmetry transforms artwork into original jewelry
Symmetry co-owner and jewelry designer Tom Mathis has been working in the jewelry business since he was 19.
He started by doing deliveries at Adler’s and ended up being trained to make jewelry out of his own artwork. In 1971, he decided to open his own business on Exchange Alley. Tom’s brother, Richard Mathis, Symmetry’s co-owner, started working with him shortly thereafter. The store has since moved a few times, but its purpose hasn’t changed.
The shop offers “handmade original pieces with better prices,” says Richard. Tom custom-makes most of the store’s inventory, though Symmetry also offers some works by other designers. Tom keeps his artwork involved in the jewelry-making process: “I’m a hand-engraver, which is very much of a lost art these days.” He designs jewelry on paper then transfers the design to computer-aided design (CAD) software. From the CAD, a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine can create an exact wax model of Tom’s sketch and concept. Clients can look at Tom’s work throughout the process, making sure that their jewelry is exactly how they want it.
Information, 8138 Hampson St., 861-9925.
– Natalia Le
