Catalog (382)

Modernist circles abound on this minimalist ring boldly signed PIERRE CARDIN. Constructed entirely of silver and gold, no matter what other jewelry you are wearing, this ring goes with it all. The ring has three gold half rounds discs on top of, sandwiched between, and underneath two slightly flattened but substantial silver bands. The gold contrasts well against the silver and both metals reflect the light with their high sheen. This ring is easy to wear, indestructible, and requires no special...

This a rare poesy holder, of sterling silver with an intricate cased foliate design and long pin and ring attached. Known also as Tussie-Mussies, the posy holder was a lady's fashion accessory resembling a small vase and meant to to hold the bouquet of flowers brought by a courting 'gentleman caller'. To show her acceptance of him, the lady would secure the flowers into the posy holder with the attached long pin and wear the holder to a ball. It attached to her hand by means of a chain to which ...

Elegant five stone sapphire and diamond band ring shown with one of our gold Mitzvah bands. With its slender profile, this makes a wonderful ring stack. Stack 2, 3 or 4 other rings and you have a terrific look. This ring was made in the 1910's in the Victorian style. Shown in one photo with our Mizpah ring and in another photo, our diamond gypsy ring, available on First Dibs and Trocadero.

Lava cameo brooch of Demeter (known to the Romans as Ceres) with a crown of wheat sheaves in her hair. The gold openwork bezel is of 12K and is pointed around the frame, a nice detail, and rather unusual, on the gold work. The brooch was possibly a souvenir from Italy acquired by a traveler on the European Grand Tour. There is an unreadable signature scratched into the reverse of the cameo. The goddess of agriculture, Demeter was perhaps the most important as she made everything grow and ripe...

The dove of peace soars through the skies. Made of pique, tortoiseshell inlaid with gold, this charming brooch can rest on your shoulder or perch on your lapel.

Our Victorian silver arrow brooch is handcrafted with a high degree of skill insuring the stone is perfectly and painstakingly carved to fit its mount. The warm colors of the Scottish agate and the matte finish all combine to make this a wonderful brooch. The arrow was an important Victorian motif representing protection from danger; thus the arrow symbolized maintaining and protecting life. This 19th century brooch has an unusually modern look, without any distracting ornamentation to take ...

The agate that comprises our Victorian flower cluster brooch is handcrafted with a high degree of skill and meticulously carved to fit its sterling silver mount. With a singular focus on the agate’s natural beauty and no distracting ornamentation, our 19th century brooch has a surprisingly modern look. Both the towns of Edinburgh and Birmingham made agate jewelry a specialty of their workshops, of which our flower cluster is a fine example. Similar brooches are featured in the jewelry book...

This beautiful gold chain has a nice thick substantial link and its smooth texture reminds one of the "slinky" toy of old, in that it falls smoothly in place no matter how it lands. The chain is quite long at 44 inches and it has a well functioning dog tag to hold your pendant. There is no clasp. The chain is 44 inches long and 1/8 of an inch wide and can be looped over the head and worn 2 or 3 times around. The chain easily stands alone. It looks well with bulky sweaters or open necklines, with...

Known as a box link or Venetian chain, this 60 inch Victorian long guard watch chain is hand forged and was made by welding together hollow section rings. Such chains were called " long guards". Often shortened to "guard chains" , these chains were ultra-lightweight and long, anywhere and over 50 inches long. They were designed to hold watches with a dog clips and were originally worn with the chain tucked into a woman's belt, and the watch dangled from the chain. Today, one could attach the...

This is an original 18th century Gouyn period porcelain Chelsea fob seal. This seal features Cupid, quiver slung over his shoulder, standing by an altar sacrificing a heart and reads, Je Vous L'offre, "I offer it (my heart) to you". These seals were given as love tokens by the wealthy and known as "toys". Charles Gouyn, a French jeweler , with Nicholas Sprimont a silversmith founded the Chelsea Factory in 1743. This is an original seal from the era in which Gouyn was manager of the Chelsea F...

This is an original 18th century Gouyn period porcelain Chelsea fob seal. These seals were given as love tokens by the wealthy and known as "toys". These seals were given as love tokens by the wealthy and known as "toys". This particular seal features Cupid holding a spy-glass to his right eye, his left hand on a globe a quiver slung behind him, concave bottom. It reads in crisp read letters, "'ouvrage pour autrui", "work for others". Charles Gouyn, a French jeweler , with Nicholas Sprimont ...

This is an original 18th century Gouyn period porcelain Chelsea fob seal. These seals were given as love tokens by the wealthy and known as "toys". This particular seal features a nun with her gilded black cape holding a staff and reading from a book. The seal reads in red letters, "Amour Spirituel", ("Spiritual Love"). The black cape with gold edging is in particularly fine condition. Charles Gouyn, a French jeweler, with Nicholas Sprimont, a silversmith founded the Chelsea Factory in 1743...

This is an original 18th century Gouyn period porcelain Chelsea fob seal. These seals were given as love tokens by the wealthy and known as "toys". This particular seal features a woman dancing and holding out her apron on either side. She has a low cut pink bodice and a skirt with a mini print pattern on the front and stripes on the back, and reads "Toujour gai", meaning "Always happy". Charles Gouyn, a French jeweler , with Nicholas Sprimont a silversmith founded the Chelsea Factory in 1...

Lightweight, hand forged 72 inch long 15k belcher long guard chain which can be doubled or tripled or quadrupled as a necklace. The belcher link is sometimes called a box link chain and is an interlocking square open link that remains popular to this day. Note that this is an original Victorian chain that has remained intact through the years and not chopped up into shorter chains. It has a threaded dog clip that is easily unscrewed to attach a pendant or two of your choice. We have doubled the ...

This romantic Georgian Natural Pearl Forget Me not Ring would have been given as a love ring back in its day. It evokes the forget-me-not with its 5 well matched pearls radiating about a central diamond. Besides the forget me not arrangement of the pearls, a coiled serpent curls around each side of the ring, the snake's head appearing at the bottom of the ring on one side and at the top of the ring on the other. A small diamond resides at the center of the pearls in a cut down collet setting. Th...

This is a sterling silver Victorian chain with a fine link intertwined with 9K ornamental gold balls that add interest and color. The gold balls are spaced evenly and symmetrically around the chain, as they should be, on a properly fabricated chain. We have attempted to show this in the photos. AT 55 inches long, it will hang 2 or 3 times around the neck. Because of the combination of gold and silver used together in this chain, it can be worn with gold or silver pendants (note the large bolt ri...

At 65 inches, this is an Niello chain with alternating gold and silver loops in its original length and is a classic loop-in-loop design dating from ancient times, in which the individual loops are soldered before assembly. With alternating rose gold and niello patterned links and the large size of the links, the chain has a modern, almost sepia toned look that we love. Niello refers to an ancient technique of decorating silver which was revived in the 19th century and adopted by English jewe...

The rare original Niello watch chain that you have been searching for. Fifty Six inches long, our chain has niello patterned fetter links and alternating triple gold links. The fetter link has a wonderful striped pattern wrapped around a gold link, the ends of which link to the triple gold links. An unusual construction, indeed. Niello refers to the ancient technique of decorating silver which was revived in the 19th century and adopted by English jewelry artisans. The word niello derives fro...

Often confused with Whitby Jet, French Jet is polished glass with a more brilliant luster and flashier. Like Whitby Jet, it is truly antique, of the (Victorian) period, and no longer made, and therefore highly collectible. Like Whitby Jet, it was often used for mourning. This lightweight collar has a classic and unique look, looks terrific on and can be adjusted to different lengths about the neck, as it has a simple ribbon tie closure. There are scratches on the backs of a few of the fre...

We love our wonderfully esoteric Grotesque man (or "other") crafted by a talented unknown carver in the 19th century from a chunk of the most desirable orange-red toned coral. Connoisseurs of literature or theater or the arts understand the term Grotesque as referring to fantastical, exaggerated or distorted representations, usually of the human face or figure. (The word "grotesque" originates from the Italian "grottesca", meaning of a cave" (grotto = cave in Italian) and refers to doubled, meta...

Lovely sapphire ring with three large sapphires and four small diamonds, a variation of the classic five stone half hoop diamond ring (the each pair of small diamonds read as one larger diamond). Five stone rings were crafted to show emphasis on the gemstones. The ring is set with the gemstones "a jour", or "open to the day" and can thus be worn for everyday wear and can be exposed to moisture within concern. The ring is a size 5 1/2.

18K gold chased ring in the form of a buckle. Buckle rings were popular in Victorian England as the Queen wore her order of the garter on her finger. The maker of the ring was William Bullock (WB is the maker's mark). The ring is a US size 6 and .38 inches wide and weighs 6.4 grams. It should not be sized or you will destroy the chased and engraved wide gold band.

C 1760 Rare Chelsea seal of a harlequin boy in black face mask with a metal ring at the top. The colors are magnificent. The seal evokes the Commedia dell'Arte, an early form of popular comedic masked theater originating in Italy and popular in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century. The harlequin alone is rare; a harlequin in blackface, rarer still. Blackface was a familiar theatrical device in Europe which made its way to the American colonies and blackface characters appeared on the stages ...

We love the simplicity of this claw set amethyst single cabochon stone ring, made somewhere around the turn of the century or later. The ring is hallmarked 15K and has 3 decorative notches cut on both sides of the band. The single cabochon amethyst stone is a smooth and polished clear shade of purple and perfect. Notice the ring stands high on the hand. The ring is open backed and can be worn everyday and hand washing will not disturb it. US Size 8.5 but it can be resized.

Charming 18K Victorian gypsy ring with a solitaire diamonds set in an unusual carved pointed petal setting with incised flourishes along the shoulders which are a nice detail.. This type of mounting was popular through the 19th century and into the 20th. The gem is set flush with the gold band creating a secure setting for people with active lifestyles. The ring is great for stacking or alone. The diamond is roughly 30 points old cushion cut and the face of the ring measures 2cm x 7.5mm and w...

Sterling silver 62 inch hand forged watch chain with an unusual S shaped spiral link that mimics the neoclassical ornamental ironwork designs of the 19th century. The hand forged links are repeated all around the chain. This chain is completely made up of these neoclassical style links. It has a round bolt clip from which you can add a pendant. It can be worn with a suit or a tee shirt and will look terrific with either.

Beautifully miniature hand painted rectangular signet ring of the tree of life. The tree of life has its origins in both Judaism and Christianity, it is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and symbolizes connection to the larger world, the earth and the sky. This ring is 17x 11.4mm and sits about 3.6 mm off the finger. It is 5/8 long and almost ½ inch wide. The size is 6.25 US. The Weight is 3.0 Grams.

Fun and unusual earrings of Whitby jet with a jet ball hanging below carved Whitby jet florets. Whitby Jet is fossilized coal mined in Whitby, England in the 19th century and made into jet jewelry, used at the time for to create jewelry. It was truly a cottage industry, with men extracting the jet from the mines and turning the precious material over to woodworkers, who hand turned and carved the jet into smooth forms. The jewelry would then go to the women to polish, finish, and assemble the p...

Dramatic 18K gold marquis shaped ring in royal blue and white enameling surrounded by pearls and centered with a pearl pansy. This distinctly English style of enameling on jewelry was invented in 1775 and became popular with royalty and is often seen on jewelry displaying royal crowns.

Our C1780 muff chain has an unusual link in the shape of bows. These hand forged bow links continue all around the chain. Georgian muff chains were worn by women who would attach a muff to the chain to conveniently keep their hands warm and the chain was designed to allow the muff to fall at just the right place. This is why original muff chains were always long (shorter chains were generally part of a larger muff chain that has been cut down to make 2 or 3 necklaces). Our chain has a round s...

his is an original nineteenth century sterling watch chain with a substantial square shaped link called a Venetian or box link. Closeup photos reveal the interesting interlocking pattern of the links. A great deal of ingenuity went into making chains, and there is nothing like an original long Victorian watch chain that has never been chopped up into shorter chains, but retains its original length. If you favor chains that are fabricated by hand, this chain is a real find. The links are full...

This is an original nineteenth century sterling watch chain with a round interlocking link. Close-up photos reveal the interlocking nature of the links. A great deal of ingenuity went into making chains, and there is nothing like an original long Victorian watch chain that retains its original length. Watch chains of the nineteenth century served the function of allowing the watch to be retrieved from the pocket without losing grasp of the watch itself. If you favor chains that are fu...

This is a long silver watch chain with alternating lengths of longer and shorter fetter links. For the better part of the nineteenth century, chains were fashioned laboriously using hand-working skills. A fetter link refers to a longer link which was used to reduce the number of links needed to fabricate a chain, thereby cutting down on the labor. The longer links are polished smooth while the shorter links have an interesting texture. If you appreciate chains that are fully fabricated by ...

The longest watch chain we have ever come across, this authentic Sterling Victorian slinky watch chain has an unusual link. Victorian watch chains were worn by women, as well as men, to hang a watch, which would snap into the end of a long chain and tuck into a pocket or a belt at the waist. (This is why original watch chains were always very long. Shorter watch chains are part of a larger chain that has been cut down to make 2 or 3 necklaces). At 78 inches in length, our chain can be looped ove...

This is a silky smooth gorgeous original French watch chain. Silky smooth about the neck, it has a wonderful texture as only 18K gold has. There is a French eagle's head on the clasp showing its French provenance.

An unusual gold toothpick enclosed in a fancy chic case for you to attach to a chain and have at the ready anytime you need one. This interesting deco piece is the unusual pendant you need to have with the rest of your "necessaries" about the neck. It will display nicely with your gold pencil and other attachments. C1930. The chain is not included.