Catalog (382)

Substantial 4 coiled 18K Snake Ring with rubies and diamonds of increasing sizes along the head of the ring. The 4 bands wind around the ring terminating in a flourish of the snake's tail. An outstanding snake ring, from the carefully chosen rubies and diamonds which are graduated in size and placed in a carved "tail" which echoes the graduated size of the snake's head, to the substantial coverage the ring provides. The ring has a maker's mark of NBS, is a size 9 ½ and weighs over 10 gr...

A rare example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze hand painted bronze miniature figurines which were made around the turn of the 20th century in foundries in Austria and Vienna following a period (mid nineteenth century) when realism and and naturalism were in vogue. The bronzes were individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several coats of a special and an unknown enamel paint that can no longer be replicated, resu...

Classic Victorian era pleasing large size round monogramed signet ring with an old english monogram carved in a carnelian hard stone with carved scrolls set into the 15K band. The ring is shown with an assortment of other signet rings in a similar shape. We think it looks terrific with others, or alone. The ring is .6 of an inch wide and .5 inches tall (15 mm wide and 12+ mm tall) and is a US size 10 and size-able.

Authentic Murphy family crest ring, complete with the motto and crest, all artfully carved in bloodstone (bloodstone is a dark green variety of chalcedony with red specks). The Lion Rampant stands in profile at the top holding a wheat sheath between his paws, the crest sits below and the banner with Latin motto Fortis et hospitales adorns the bottom of the ring face. The wheat is representative of abundance and the lion of strength and bravery. Irish crests always include a shield and a motto in...

Victorian Pietra Dura earrings of a butterfly, set in 9K gold. Pietra dura is a form of micro-mosaic made with pieces of hard stone such as agate, and cemented into black marble. It is also known as Florentine mosaic as Florence, Italy was the center of manufacture of these wonderful pieces. Red is a particularly rare color to find in Pietra dura. The earrings are set onto 14K ear wires.

Victorian 18K Carnelian agate swivel ring of a bearded man in profile. The fiery orange red glow of the Carnelian stone mesmerizes and the feel of the revolving swivel makes this a unique and very pleasant ring to won. The bearded unknown man is beautifully carved on one side while the other side is plain. The ring is .75 inches long and .5 inches wide and fits a size 7-7.5 and fairly large in scale and has great presence. The last photos show the scale of the ring relative to other signets.

Double portrait cameo ring in sardonyx, a variety of onyx and from the chalcedony family of stones, with the profiles of Venus and Mars overlaid in a pleasing contrast and further set on a carved rectangular stone in a 9K cigar band. Mars is shown in black at the foreground with his warrior attributes (helmet and armour) while Venus is portrayed in the background in white. We love the way each is carved from the same piece of stone then further mounted on another piece of stone. Our double portr...

Colorful depiction of a peasant girl graces this micromosaic brooch purchased during the Grand Tour and brought back to England to be set in an elaborate 18K bezel decorated with grapes and leaves. The glass tesserae are set in malachite.

This wonderful 18K Scottish fob features an imposing tower, the symbol for the Mason family crest. The fob is carved with a motto which reads "Demeure Par La Verite" and translates to "Keep Fast By the Truth". Keep fast by the truth is rooted in the bible: from the Gospel of John, it means remain faithful to the word of God and one will be rewarded with a fruitful life. Our fob is 1.5" tall and just shy of 1.5" wide. Family crest information sourced from Fairbanks' Guide (see photo of fortress d...

Sparkling Victorian cut steel earrings with faceted balls, leaves and circles. Cut steel was popular in England for its luster and shine in candlelight. Each tiny stud is hand cut and embedded in a metal base plate. Cut steel was the only form of jewelry made by steel workers and was a huge industry in the 19th century. It should be noted that while the jewelry was riveted by steelworkers, the polishing of the jewelry was done by local women, in a cottage industry of sorts. These earrings meas...

Sterling silver ring with a horse shoe motif as its central feature, set in sterling silver, complete with hallmark and maker's mark S & G. Silver jewelry was popularized in the last quarter of the 19th century because of the discovery of the Comstock Lode in Nevada in the 1860's, which had the effect of greatly increasing the world supply of silver. The band integrates with the central horseshoe and that is how we know it was originally and cleverly designed to be a horse shoe ring. Ano...

HM 1916 Birmingham, our Victorian "message" ring with the word "Mizpah" engraved on either side (Miz on one side of the turquoise forget-me-not and Pah on the other side) is an example of the romantic message jewelry that was so popular in the era. The word Mizpah is a Hebrew word that symbolizes the bond between two people separated by an act of war or other forced estrangement. The message comes from a quote in the Old Testament book of Genesis and reads "And Mizpah; for he said, the Lord watc...

This antique 18K (marked) lover's knot ring with hallmarks for Chester, 1912, is the most substantial lover's knot ring we have ever encountered in our years of collecting antique jewelry. We love everything about the ring, beginning with the solid feel of this chunky gold ring, to its hand forged sinuous intertwined bands of gold, some with charming incised flourishes. We also love the polished band that is over one quarter of an inche wide all around; the essence of solidity. The love knot...

18K Georgian ring with a cushion cut oval approx. 4 carat topaz center stone flanked by 2 old mine cut diamonds on each side. The diamonds total approximately 1/2 carat. This is a hand forged Georgian ring and the star of the show, the topaz, is encased in a gold surround. A charming detail of 3 "pie crust" indentations in the gold can be seen at the top, bottom and repeated along the sides. The topaz sits about 5 mm above the finger. The combination of the clear yellow-gold topaz flanked by the...

Twin hearts, long a symbol of everlasting love, are set here with pearls, a symbol of purity and wisdom, surrounded by old European cut diamonds and crowned with a bow. The double hearts signify the couple ( "our hearts beat as one") while diamonds symbolize fidelity and everlasting commitment. This romantic Victorian ring is a superb example of an ageless motif. Ring size 6 (almost a 6.25) and can be sized to fit.

This is a spectacular one of a kind cameo portrait signet ring collector's item made of an sardonyx, a variety of banded onyx and a form of chalcedony quartz of reddish brown. Portrait cameos were often commissioned by those who had amassed enough wealth to leave their mark on society. The wearer of such a ring would demonstrate admiration for a particular philosopher, writer or popular figure in society. The possession of a ring set with a cameo established the owner of the ring as a person o...

This unusual mid nineteenth century Gold and Silver Diamond Cluster ring is a variation of the classic Victorian cluster ring with a twist. The twist is that the the flower cluster is actually set in a mount of silver, with pear shaped diamonds set in 8 "leaves" of gradually increasing size, perfectly asymmetrically symmetrical. Then the silver mount is further set atop a gold mount and the band is finished in gold. Such a design could only be accomplished with rigorous and exacting hand labor ...

C1770 Silver gilt ring with Glass Tassie cameo portrait of an 18th century gentleman, thought to be young Prince William Henry Duke of Gloucester, younger brother of King George III. Rings set with portrait miniatures of sovereign figures were quite popular and widely distributed. A "Tassie" is a paste or glass copy of a cameo or intaglio. They were named for James Tassie, 1735-1799 who invented a technique for producing perfect copies of antique cameos and intaglios, which have the same deta...

18K Oval Rose Cut diamond ring with an abundance of rose cut diamonds, 28 on the border alone, surrounding a trinity of large diamonds at center and smaller diamonds as embellishments on either side of the trinity. The diamonds are set in the classic cut down setting of the Georgian/Victorian period. Diamond rings, by the 19th century were most often used as betrothal rings (having replaced the posey rings of the eighteenth century). Note the drawing of a similar diamond ring in our photo ar...

Delightful Victorian hallmarked 1865 Birmingham multi-stone ring with two large diamond shaped garnets in the center, surrounded by emeralds and enveloped by a beautifully engraved 15K gold band on either end. We love the contrast in both size and color of the stones. The final photos show how pleasing rings from this decade of 1860-1870 look together on the hand. This ring is not sizeable because the band is engraved all around and sizing would ruin the engraved pattern. It is sized US 7 ...

This ring has many Georgian era characteristics, including the symmetry of the 10 Georgian diamonds surrounding a central larger diamond, the silver surround of the gemstones and the impressive gold craftsmanship of the fully closed back. The band is 3 horizontal bands linked with 3 vertical elements and is comprised of 4 sections with a carved gold leaf set into each. The leaves are all carved to suggest veining, adding to the ring's appeal. Our ring is an early precursor to what would la...

Our 14K articulated hinged snake bangle suggests the Greek rod of Asclepius with the serpent wrapped around a staff. The ends of the bracelet are capped with a ball finial which are further capped with a small gold ball. The bracelet tests 14K. There are no identifying marks. Interestingly the textured ball finials each have different scrolled raised pattern and a different gold color. That and the carved scales and clear red garnet eyes are just some of the charming details of this Grecian ...

Silver jewelry was made to appeal to the "working girl" who desired beautiful and well made jewelry in European society. After Queen Victoria's Silver Jubilee in the third quarter of the 19th century, silver cuff bracelets were incredibly popular. Silver cuff bracelets extremely collectible today as they were well made and no two pieces were alike, each was unique in its own way. We are particularly enthralled with this modern take on a classical Greek element, a lavender enameled Greek key whi...

The devil is in the details. Every detail of our 18K woven gold gloved hand bracelet with guilloche enamel cuffs are is a beauty to behold. Our bracelet was handcrafted by skillful Georgian goldsmiths who took care to make sure that every part of this bracelet met their exacting standards. And it shows. We call this a "woven" gold bracelet because during the Georgian period goldsmiths were adept at weaving gold so that it resembled and felt more like fabric than metal chain. This weaving styl...

Late Victorian signet ring, hallmarked for the year 1907-1908 and monogrammed with initials WW or MM, carved to a polished gold face and set into a band with carved scrolled shoulders. The ring featured on this listing is modeled on the ring finger. We think it looks great with other signet rings or by itself. The ring is fairly large in scale at over a half inch wide and a half inches tall (1.4 cm North-South and 1.2+ cm East-West), US size 8 and size-able.

Twentieth Century 14 Karat Blue lapis lazuli signet ring of German or Austrian origin, with initials SVC and a charming intaglio of a stylized castle. The band has a purity mark of 585 on one side and a maker's mark on the other. The ring is hand engraved in the inside of the band with "Van Vater, March 12 1985", German for "From Father, March 12 1985". The ring dates from 1975-1985. It was likely sold by the jeweler as a custom carved engraved signet ring; the lapis stone would have been set in...

Charming 18K Victorian diamond cluster ring with 9 diamonds, hallmarked for Birmingham in the year 1892 with a large center rose diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds and hand set with a decorative band of carved flourishes along the shoulders. The diamonds are set in silver. Nineteenth century diamonds are more understated than machine made modern day diamonds and they are always natural. This diamond is set open backed and can safely be worn everyday. This would make a lovely engagemen...

This Georgian diamond solitaire ring is set in 15K gold and has lovely engraved shoulders (also referred to as chased). The old mine cut diamond, chased shoulders and smooth polished gold back (beautiful in its own right) make this ring classically Georgian. There is not a prong visible on this diamond as a Georgian era goldsmith only wanted the diamond to be visible. Diamonds then were set in silver to better set off the cool tones, as is this one. The proportions of this band make it idea...

Queen Anne period (1740) large beautifully faceted octagon cut amethyst solitaire ring in a later 18K gold band. This style of jewelry has been historically misnamed for Queen Anne, who reigned from 1695 to 1714, as so called Queen Anne jewelry dates to the mid 18th century. Among other details, we love this ring for its eighteenth century octagonal shape, the quality of the amethyst and the crimped collet gold setting. Beautiful in its simplicity, this ring is sure to attract attention. ...

Our 18K (stamped) four band Turkish style harem ring has four individual gold bands held together by an unassuming gold connector to create one stacking ring. Harem rings were first created as wedding bands in Turkey and later copied by jewelers in Europe and America. The design of the ring with its back connector helps keep the stack of slender bands in order. The design of 4 bands in one ring also makes the ring wider and more substantial, it is like buying 4 stacking rings. The design al...

The ‘toi et moi’ style describes an engagement band on a coiled band, with two gemstones coming together where the band meets around the finger. The toi et moi translates to "you and me" and symbolizes the union of two people, a wonderfully romantic sentiment. Our Toi et Moi diamond ring has two rose cut diamonds set in a yellow gold band trailed by 5 graduated accent diamonds on each side along. The piece de resistance is the small diamond that endearingly reaches out from each toi et mo...

We love the patina of this antique delicate carved amethyst intaglio depicting a charming bird perched on solid ground, beak pointed upward mounted in a later, retro hammered 24K gold band. The ring is substantial at .38 inch high but not overwhelmingly large. At almost 14 grams and 24K (stamped), this ring is solid gold yet feels surprisingly light. This modern looking signet ring is easy to wear and marries beautifully with other rings. Not to be missed. The ring fits a size 9-9.5 finger.

This contemporary signet ring is the signet ring for the name Perrott, which hails from England, Scotland, Ireland. The most likely explanation for the name is that it derives from "little Peter", with Peter from the Latin "Petrus", meaning "stone" in Greek. Other similar names are Perrot, Perrin, Perron, Parrell and Perowne. Most of the coats of arms for the Perrott family include the 3 pears seen on this ring. Another variation of the name is that it derived from a nickname for the parrot....

Our 18K Victorian Regard ring is a romantic acrostic ring set in a linear formation, with six gemstones in which the initial letter of each spells the word 'Regard': Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, and Diamond. The 18K band is delicately ribbed all around. The overall profile of the ring is slender with gemstones that are the same size. This makes our REGARD ring ideal for stacking, as shown in the photos. Similar to ADORE, DEAREST and DEAR rings, REGARD rings were romantic messag...

Edwardian 18K yellow gold ruby ring with three clear rubies and two diamonds, in the form of the five stone half hoop ring, with the emphasis on the gemstones. The ring is set "a jour", or "open to the day", so the ring can be worn for hand washing and is fine for everyday wear. The stones are polished and clear. It measures US 7 ½ and the head of the ring is 18MM wide.

Our 14K signet ring is a stylized representation of a royal coat of arms, a forward facing royal open visor of gold with the image at the center showing an open full faced knight or baron with heraldic details. The star at the shield's center is a symbol of hope, the wings above an emblem of protection. The embowed arm of armour at the crest signifies an individual with leadership qualities. The shield with its horizontal carved lines known as hatching are an interesting design detail and are a...