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All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Period : Pre 1910 item #1480021
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,000.00
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 ...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Pre Victorian : Pre 1837 VR item #1479524
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$4,500.00
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...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1900 item #1478632
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$2,600.00
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 ...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1900 item #1476750
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$7,500.00
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...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Pre Victorian : Pre 1800 item #1476719
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$7,500.00
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...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1900 item #1476711
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$9,000.00
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 ...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Pre Victorian : Pre 1837 VR item #1476710
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$12,000.00
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...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1900 item #1476708
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$7,650.00
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.
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Pre Victorian : Pre 1837 VR item #1476649
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$5,600.00
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...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Gold : Victorian : Pre 1900 item #1476617
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$4,600.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : Pre 1900 item #1475214
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$870.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1475211
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$675.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471180
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,225.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1837 VR item #1471178
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,850.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1837 VR item #1471175
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$5,900.00
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.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471171
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,850.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471167
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
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.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471166
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$920.00
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.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471163
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,200.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1471162
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,900.00
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.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Mixed Media : Vertu : Pre 1910 item #1471160
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$700.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1920 item #1470305
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$4,200.00
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...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1467124
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,400.00
Our Victorian long guard watch chain is composed of an unusual and attractive love knot link. Such chains were called "long guards", and shortened to "guard chains". Watch guard link chains were generally light in weight and always over 50 inches in length. They were designed to hold watches with a dog clips and were originally worn with the chain tucked into a woman's belt with the watch attached to the chain. A great deal of hand work was involved in their construction. This chain has a ...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1467123
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,200.00
Double box link original Victorian watch chain terminating in a dog clip stamped 9 carat, this unusual watch chain with its faceted box links attached to one another reveals on close inspection an additional twisted link around each box link, adding interest and glamour to a simple box link watch chain. The link has a slightly yellow gold cast. Note in the photos the detail of the faceted box links as well as the additional twisted link. The chain looks terrific when paired with others and a...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1466765
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$4,950.00
Wonderful tactile slinky watch chain. To be a proper watch chain, the chain must be over 50" long, as they were originally made (shorter chains are simply cut up watch chains). Snake chains are a favorite link because of the slinky smooth texture and the way the link bounces back when adjusted. The watch chain terminates in a barrel clasp, a nice feature as the clasp allows you to unhook the chain and wrap the chain around your neck several times to be worn as a collar, in addition to doubling o...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1920 item #1466389
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$2,775.00
Substantial 9k double headed snake ring featuring pink sapphire laden tops, carved gold eyes and a modern looking chic open work gold band. The ring is hallmarked "Chester", the most innovative of all the English guilds, and dates precisely to 1911. The intertwined serpents represent 2 lovers woven together for eternity and symbolize fertility and rebirth. The pink sapphires are unusual in a snake ring and the cool pink tones are a wonderful contrast to the rose gold band. The ring is a size 9.5...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1837 VR item #1466386
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$6,900.00
Utilizing the natural features of the blush and gray speckled agate with a lovely mottled appearance and demonstrating the fine carving that this circle of Italian carvers were known for, our ring is a sensitive portrayal of Sappho, an early poetess who came of age in the time of the Ancient Greeks in the Archaic period. The quality of the carving is reminiscent of the circle of carvers in Rome during the mid eighteenth century which included Anton Pichler and his sons Giovanni and Luigi. K...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1910 item #1465392
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,415.00
An essential for every wardrobe, our C1900 9K handcrafted Albert curb link chain has it all; a chain includes with 2 dog clips, an inch of extra chain with a ring attached (from which to hang a pendant) and a T Bar. Each link is stamped 395 9 (9 carat) and with the anchor symbol for the Birmingham. Each element of the chain (links, dog clips, and T Bar) is stamped 9 for 9 karat. The extra length of chain with the T Bar can be removed and the larger ring that attaches it can be used to hang a ...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1910 item #1465391
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$3,750.00
An essential chain for one's jewelry collection, this 18 inch long 9k Albert curb link chain has 2 dog clips attached for use as a clasp or to hang a pendant from. Each individual link and dog clip is individually stamped 9 and 375 (for 9K). "Albert" chains are a style of watch chain named after Prince Albert and were worn by both men and women in the 19th and early 20th century. This chain is particularly wonderful because of the two clips All the parts of the chain are original and intact an...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1910 item #1462548
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$850.00
This enchanting ruby band ring has 5 rubies displayed in a linear formation along the face of the polished gold band, which has a gold "leaf" carved into the band that in a charming manner appears to be "reaching" around to capture the gemstone mounted face of the ring. Our 15K Edwardian ruby band ring is hallmarked Birmingham for the year 1907. It has a maker's mark of "L BROTHERS". The ring weighs 2.1 grams and is a size US 7 3/4.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1900 item #1462544
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,300.00
Charming 15K Victorian gypsy ring with an old mine cut diamond securely imbedded in a polished gold band. The ring is hallmarked HM Chester 1890. This type of setting was popular through the late 19th century and well into the 20th. The diamond is securely flush mounted into the band. Flush mounted rings, otherwise known as gypsy rings, can be worn for everyday wear. The ring is great for stacking or worn alone, and with its hallmark and polished gold band is a fine ring indeed. The ring weighs ...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1920 item #1462543
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$1,400.00
18k diamond gypsy ring adorned with 2 cushion cut diamonds and 1 central ruby encased in 8 pointed stars on a polished gold band with a charming incised design on each shoulder and an unusual scalloped edge. Flush mount gypsy rings are one of the most secure settings for gemstones and as such were worn by men and women with active lifestyles. Such rings were very much popular among men. The popularity of gypsy, or flush mounted rings, began around the Victorian era and continued through the firs...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1910 item #1460371
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$2,500.00
Wonderful brightly colored half hoop ring of the classic Victorian 5 stone design consisting of 3 emeralds and 2 amethysts.
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : English : Pre 1837 VR item #1460370
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$4,800.00
Dramatic Georgian faceted paste single stone ring set in silver and backed in 18K. The ring is nicely engraved at the shoulders with an 18K band. The carved paste is set in silver, which was believed to be better suited to set off the cool tones of the "diamond" stone. Paste jewelry refers to meticulously hand carved gem-like stones whose origin is credited to 2 infamous Georges, the first being George Ravenscroft, an English glassmaker who in the 16th century invented a composition of lead...
All Items : Estate Jewelry : Silver : Pre Victorian : Pre 1700 item #1460366
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$2,600.00
A late Medieval signet ring of silver engraved with strong cross cultural references of the pelican in her piety and navigation symbols of the moon and stars. During the medieval period many were illiterate and pictorial signet rings served the practical purpose of bearing a mark that when impressed upon clay would authenticate documents. The Pelican in her piety refers to the medieval fable of the pelican drawing blood from her breast to feed her chicks. The Pelican thus is a strong symbol ...
All Items : Antiques : Decorative Art : Jewelry : Continental : Pre 1920 item #1460364
Moylan-Smelkinson/The Spare Room
$2,600.00
This fancy gold lined iron band reads "Gold Gab Ich Fur Eisen", meaning "I gave gold for iron", and was part of a patriotic effort to fund the Austro Hungarian War whereupon German citizens were asked to donate their gold jewelry and other gold articles and in return they would receive iron rings with these patriotic inscriptions. The movement spawned from an earlier movement during the war of 1812 when Germans were asked to donate their gold jewelry to help their country in the effort to defea...