Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art (314)

Unusual paste earrings with three curved lines of paste gemstones dripping from a central paste cluster. Paste earrings rose in popularity in 18th century France when improvements in domestic candlelight made the appeal of such glittering gemstones soar.Paste is a type of leaded glass which was first created in the 1600's, but only in the 1700's did it achieve a level of perfection, and it was in the Georgian era that the most beautiful paste jewelry was created...

Lovely polished coral earrings with enamel bows and seed pearls ensconced in the center if each bow and dangling from each ribbon. The deep rose pink color of our earrings are the most ought after color of coral and are particularly vibrant in tone. The use of coral in jewelry started in Roman times, and where the superstitions about coral began. Coral was thought to be a talisman against evil spirits...

Three inch long day-night earrings with a lovely rococo design that incorporates foliate and shell motifs set with Persian turquoise and enlivened by the two-color 15K gold. The earrings have a secure hook on the back of the drop part of the earring, not typically seen on Georgian day-night earrings. This enables enabling them to easily be separated and worn with just the tops (for day), or both top and bottom (at night). The mechanism attaching the two pieces can be viewed in the photos.

These lovely 18K day-night floral gold cannetille earrings boast one of the finest examples of cannetille gold work we have ever seen. Popular in both England and France in the 1820's, cannetille was a type of filigree work named after the gold embroideries of the Napoleonic era. It lasted for a brief 2 decades, making it easy to date a piece of jewelry that is as fine an example of cannetille as these...

8K eighteenth-century portrait ring under crystal of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Miniature portraits were painted on vellum or ivory and given as tokens of love to husbands and wives or parents and children. Portrait rings with diamond bezels, such as ours, reflect the importance of the subject. The paintings would be commissioned to the leading miniature portrait artists of the day. Sarah Churchill had a close friendship with Queen Anne of England...

our early C1790 Georgian 18K seven stone diamond half hoop ring has seven table-cut diamonds (flat on top, faceted sides). The ring is closed back and the diamonds are foiled backed, exactly the way gemstone rings were made in the Georgian period. The diamonds are mounted in silver and set in gold, as the Georgians believed silver was better suited to set off the cool white tones of diamonds. This ring would make a lovely engagement ring or gift to oneself. The ring is a size 7.

Lovely early Victorian angel skin coral ring with 10 carved florets and one large carved coral flower at the center, set in a pleasing symmetrical pattern. This ring has a 9K gold band while the coral florets are set in a metal bed. The Victorians loved angel skin coral, which is a red-orange or light pink colored coral, and they especially loved coral cut into cameos, flowers, or fruit. This ring has a rather large head and is therefore best worn alone. This ring is a US size 7.75.

Lovely 18K stone coral ring with 8 small diamonds. Five stone rings were classic Victorian forms. Our ring has smooth polished cabachon coral stones and ten small perfect flat cut diamonds at each corner. During Victorian times and earlier, coral was believed to have mystical properties and to ward off illness. The rose pink color was the most sought after. The ring is a size 8 and can be sized.

15K gold fede or love ring with two hands coming together to enclose a gold heart with a single rose-cut diamond embedded in a carved star at the center. The word "fede" means faith. The clasped hands motif has been used since Roman times. The ring is US size 8.25.

Delightful 18K hand over heart fede ring. - the word fede means faithful. The Victorians were fond of such romantic sentiments. The ring has a tiny diamond set on the ring finger of the gold hand, a lovely and surprising detail. The ring is a US size 8 1/4.

Colorful 14K American Art Nouveau ring with small diamond accent stones, and peridot, opal, garnet, amethyst, and aqua stones encircling the larger freshwater pearl at the center. The complimentary gemstones, graceful gold metal flourishes, and stylized marquis shape all contribute to this artfully designed ring. The gemstones are deftly set inside a gold border, another subtle detail that makes this ring appealing. The length of the ring has the effect of elongating one's hand...

Fabulous chunky 18K and diamond-studded lover's knot ring hallmarked London, 1919. Unusual knot ring with three gold diamond-shaped squares superimposed along the knot band and table-cut diamonds embedded securely within the incised stars on each square. The figural knot can be seen on the underside of the ring and is almost as beautiful as the front. The ring is a US size 8 and can be sized.

Black enameled memorial band, divided into scrolls and with raised gold lettering, for a Mrs. Martha Greswold. This is an excellent example of and 18th-century mourning ring...

Late renaissance memento mori skull ring. "Memento mori" jewelry translates to "remember thou must die", a reminder to all to live life fully, as death awaits. Memento mori rings were meant to encourage the practice of reflection on one's mortality. This is a very early ring with black enamel etching along the sides and back and a perfectly shaped skull in intaglio on the front. The ring is silver gilt with black enamel carving. Circa 1620. US size 8 1/2.

Our glass earrings, in the form of a Latin crosses, are made of Vauxhall glass, popular as jewelry in the 1860's and sold along the pleasure Gardens in Chelsea, where courting couples strolled on summer evenings. Made by skilled artisans who were employed by the Vauxhall Glass Company in an effort to make use of the leftover glass shards from the mirror glass they produced, the jewelry was much loved for the skillful carving of the glass into unique and creative forms...

Rarely seen George III commemorative brooch with George III in profile at the center and decorated with a border of blue and green Vauxhall glass. This historical brooch was thought to have been made to celebrate George III's recovery from porphyria in 1789. The individual pieces of Vauxhall glass are positioned flat against the metal, as is appropriate to the genre...

Attractive bracelet with 8 nicely proportioned brilliant cut rock crystals set in individual gilt metal rope bezels attached to one another with a double set of links. The bracelet fits a medium-sized wrist and hangs attractively. The clear stones and gilt metal would make a nice addition when worn with other gold bangles as the clear rock crystal stones and gilt metal compliment gold.Fits a small to medium sized wrist.

Translated as "pierce" in French, the word pique describes a classically Victorian type of jewelry made by heating tortoiseshell and piercing it with gold and silver inlays to create beautiful geometric or floral patterns. This describes the beautiful art of pique jewelry, made from the upper shell and lower belly of the hawksbill turtle and considered the highest quality of turtle shell and used for the production of beautiful boxes, objet, hair ornaments, and in the nineteenth century, jewelry...

still need a description for this one and trocadero does not let me move on if description is not longer than title

This pattern on our watch chain comes from an ancient technique of decorating silver, known as niello. Niello which was revived in the 19th century and adopted by English jewelry artisans. The word niello which derives from the Latin form of niger, or black...

Lovely Georgian garnet cluster ring set in 18K gold. The garnets are a bright and lively color giving the ring great panache. The ring is a size 8 and measures 5/8" at its widest.

This is a rare example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze handmade, hand painted bronze miniature figurines which were made around the turn of the 20th century in foundries in Austria and Vienna. Austrian bronzes are individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several coats of a special and secretive type of enamel paint, resulting in very detailed and life like miniature figures...

With a Latin inscription translated as "Under a clear sky France suffers", this 18K Carnelian fob seal depicts an African slave in profile, carved atop a family crest, all shown above a ribbon banner reading "PURUM PATIENTIA FRANCE". Notwithstanding the word "France" in the inscription, our wax seal fob is English. The seal harkens back to the British abolitionist movement in France, during which time the British people actively sought to pressure the French to abolish slavery...

C1900 18K figural dog fob depicting a greyhound, or possibly a whippet, with adorable blue collar, perched atop a bed of lapis. He or she would look wonderful as a pendant threaded through a gold split ring and attached to an antique gold chain, or dispense with the split ring all together and wear alone. We have attached an image of a dog fob suspended form an antique gold chain below, as an example (the chain not included) of how it looks. Images show what the figural whippet fob looks like fr...

This is a rare example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze handmade, hand painted bronze miniature figurines which were made around the turn of the 20th century in foundries in Austria and Vienna. Austrian bronzes are individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several coats of a special and secretive type of enamel paint, resulting in very detailed and life like miniature figures. Our tarantula, approximately 1 inch squ...

A good example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze handmade, hand painted bronze miniature figurines. Austrian bronzes are individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several coats of paint. This rare painted butterfly is approximately 1 inch long and 1 1/4 inches wide. A perfect collection for the entomologist or botany professor in your life. A someone who just wants to start a collection who has only a small amount of...

This is a good example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze handmade, hand painted bronze miniature figurines which were made around the turn of the 20th century in foundries in Austria and Vienna. Austrian bronzes are individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several coats of a special and secretive type of enamel paint, resulting in very detailed and life like miniature figures. Our pair of dachshunds, both with red c...

A good example of the remarkable talent behind the wonderful Austrian Bronze handmade, hand painted bronze miniature figurines, made in the late nineteenth century. Austrian bronzes are individually cast from sand molds used only once, then sculpted and cold painted by hand with several and secretive colors of enamel paints, known as "dust" paints. This resulted in very fine and realistic studies of the different models. This adorable miniature sculpture of a husband and wife Inuit couple with ...

Sentimental sterling bangle bracelet bearing the biblical Mizpah inscription, signifying an emotional bond between two people physically separated due to acts of war or other calamities. It would typically be given by a lover about to be parted from his beloved. The word "Mizpah" is in raised lettering while the engraved inscription "The Lord When Between We are Me & Absent One Thee From Another" is inscribed beneath. The inscription is flanked by a carved shield and a single flower with attache...

Substantial silver bangle bracelet with an elliptical border of open cutwork featuring delicate daisies and swirl designs. The delicate openwork border surrounds smaller raised ellipse at center which with a delicate carved composition of a bird and a bee together in flight. An arabesque design flanks each side of the elipse to complete the symmetrical arrangement. These were Western interpretations copied from the Japanese aesthetic movement, but were made by Birmingham manufacturers for mass c...

The symbolism and motifs behind the Victorian bangle bracelets, with their quaint floral bouquets and plants and trails of leaves well known. Our Sterling silver bangle has two carved stylized vases of flowers on either side, a vertical array of flowers next to each and at center, what appears to be two vertical daisies and leaf tendrils. This bracelets are quintessentially Victorian; sentimental jewelry always had associated meanings behind different flowers. Flowers were known as "messengers o...

Our silver bangle is decorated with a five bands of repeating patterns of arabesques and scrolls. The center band is the focal point while the surrounding bands are each repeated once. The Victorians loved geometric patterns, and silver bangles, brooches and the like were affordable to the middle class and could appeal to a broader segment of the jewelry market and thus achieved great popularity around this time. The bracelet is assayed to Birmingham in the year 1884. Our bangle is 1.5 inches...

The sporting craze in Victorian jewelry started in the 1890's and continued into the 20th century up until WWI. Encouraged by women's more active participation in sports, such jewelry was particularly fashionable for country wear. Our bangle is a slightly more modern version of the Victorian silver bangle, with a silver ball in the center of the tennis racket as the main motif, and stylized leaves to the left. A very subtle silver rope carving detail runs along the border of the tennis racket se...

Fabulous Berlin iron ring decorated with symbols associated with faith (dove) love (heart) and loyalty (dog). The heart is surrounded by a leafy wreath and surmounted by the dog and the dove. The band has a floral motif, probably laurel leaves. The band has a floral motif. Berlin Iron jewelry was popular in the early 1800's. During the Napoleonic war German women gave their precious jewelry for the war effort and it was replaced with Berlin iron jewelry some with the inscription "Ich gab gelt fu...

Wonderfully painted enamel ring depicting the love between Cupid and Psyche, the universal symbol of everlasting love. The ancient Greeks viewed the butterfly as a symbol of the immortality of the soul. The painting on the enamel ring shows the goddess Psyche, which means "soul" or "spirit", in the form of the butterfly, being chased by Cupid. The ring is 18K, circa 1910, size 6.5 and can be sized.

Lovely 18K five stone opal ring with five perfect blue-tinged translucent Australian opals set in an embellished gold setting. Eight tiny diamonds nest between the opals. The ring is hallmarked Sheffield and dates to 1870. This is the opal ring you have been looking for. It is a size 8 3/4.