Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Jewelry (231)

This intricately woven gold necklace with enameled serpent biting its tail, known as an ouroboros, is classically Georgian and circa 1790. Woven gold necklaces like this one took weeks to make and created enormous precision and painstaking detail. Our ouroboros snake necklace, with blue and green enameling and gold paint to denote the snake's scales and amethyst paste eyes, is a treasure to behold. It is quite a miracle that this necklace has survived over 200 years.

Beautiful White and Yellow Gold Circle Drop Earrings C. 1900. We love these charming 15K diamond and yellow and white gold earrings. Old mine cut diamonds wrapped inside a gold cylinder dance inside a concentric gold circle and shimmer in the light. Two smaller mine cuts encased in a gold cylinder are at the top. Mille-graining, which is a minuscule bead that finishes an edge on gold or silver in jewelry, can be seen along bordering the gold cylinders, a nice detail...

Fantastic Whitby jet earrings in the form of concentric circles, a classic geometric shape that we love. The material is made of Whitby Jet, a form of fossilized coal that came from the coal mines of Whitby England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Jet was especially popular during Victorian times because it was acceptable as a form of mourning jewelry...

Striking Victorian Whitby jet earrings with a floral design. Jet jewelry became popular after the death of Prince Albert in 1861 when the court went into official mourning. These striking earrings measure 2 1/2" long and 3/4" at their widest.

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...

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...

Charming Victorian turquoise drop earrings set in silver, with daisy form tops and bow bottoms, circa 1880. The earrings are attached to gold shepherds hooks and are 1.4 inches long. Turquoise were considered sentimental love jewelry and the Victorians, ever the romantics, associated turquoise with happiness in life.

Lovely sapphire ring with three large sapphires and four small diamonds, an unusual variation of the form of a 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", meaning the ring can be worn for hand washing and is appropriate for everyday wear. The stones are polished and clear...

Classical Victorian hallmarked bangle bracelet with three rows of tiny fleurons and X shaped patterns running horizontally across the bangle with reeding in between. Our bracelet is hallmarked 1883 Birmingham and is in pristine condition. It is approximately 1/8 inch deep, 1 inch wide, and measures a fairly ample 7 3/4 inch in diameter, suitable for most any size wrist.

Exquisite Victorian silver bangle bracelet enhanced with a raised floral motif in two color gold. This unusual and striking cuff can be worn alone or joined with other gold or silver bangles. The bracelet measures 1 1/2" wide and its interior measurements are 1 15/16 by 2 1/4. It has hallmarks for Birmingham 1885.

Fantastic engraved 18K gold bracelet set with a shell cameo of the god Pan and presented in its original box. Clearly a one of its kind. The bracelet measures 1 5/8" wide, the interior circumference is 6 1/2", c1840

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...

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...

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 early Victorian 15K turquoise and pearl baby ring may be collected in honor of a new baby, worn around the knuckle, or clipped to a split ring and worn around a favorite chain, with or without other baby rings. Our ring has a center turquoise flanked by a pearl on each side. The open gold band is handcrafted with gold whorls and scrolls which are punctuated with little gold balls. Additional gold balls are placed along the shank...

We love baby rings, worn around the knuckle or worn clipped to a large split ring and worn around a chain, or simply collected in honor of a new baby. Our Victorian baby ring has rose diamonds encased in gold, spaced evenly around the band. The band has a royal blue enamel border on both top and bottom of the band. The blue enamel is itself accented by a slender border of gold. The combination of the rose diamonds set in gold with the enamel blue detail make this an exceptional baby ring...

Our Victorian long guard watch chain is composed of an unusual and attractive love knot link...

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...

Wonderful antique silver cuff with rose gold flowers and arches and yellow leaves with etched tendrils in between. Silver jewelry was made to appeal to the "everyman" in society and after the Silver Jubilee in the later part of the 1800's silver jewelry pieces like our cuff bracelet was made in abundance, but no two pieces were alike and each had its own unique design. This antique cuff bracelet is 7 ½ inches in circumference and is 1 inches wide. It fits a small to medium sized wrist.

Delightful Victorian deep blue Vauxhall glass bug will be wonderful to wear for dress up or casual events. Vauxhall mirrored glass jewelry was made at the Vauxhall Glassworks in the outskirts of London, as a way of using their extra shards of mirror glass. It was sold to courting couples at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, and became immensely popular for its intense colors and the exceptional quality of the glass. During the Darwin period, any type of insect was popular, including bees, bugs, and...

These beautifully crafted Egyptian revival cufflinks of sterling silver scarab beetles are the creation of Herman and Eugene Unger, German immigrants who settled in Newark, NJ and were a part of the immensely creative Art Nouveau period at the turn of the nineteenth century. Herman was the silversmith while Eugene was the engraver. Similar to the Art Nouveau period itself, their popularity was brief, not the least of which was that fact that the commercial marketplace had difficulty supporting p...

Victorian stickpin of a dog in essex crystal set in an 18K gold frame with a large 9K gold pin. Keep your lovely furry companion with you all day. C. 1870, 1"W x 1 1/4"H, $ 3860. Condition: excellent Height: 1.25 inches Width: 1 inch

Wonderful silver cuff depicting a classical arch design including rose gold flowers and yellow gold arches with etched tendrils growing in between. There is a Vaughton's Patent trademark inscription on the inside. Vaughton's was an English manufacturer in Birmingham, still in existence, which made silver jewelry to appeal to all classes of society, including the "working" girl. The small silver balls gracing the bottom and the larger ball placed atop where each arch meets are a nice touch. Brac...

Lovely early Victorian sterling silver paste pendant with a border of paste stones and royal blue enamel, most likely was a pendant given as a gift to a loved one. The beautiful blue color represented innocence and virtue and was probably given to a young woman by her suitor. Women adored their paste jewelry as much as their diamonds, so the use of paste stones indicates this was likely owned by a member of the "upper crust". The pendant is approximately 1 1/4 inches.

A lovely pair of white paste earrings closed back set in silver gilt. Approximately 18 MM or .7 inches in width, these well scaled earrings can be dressed up or down. Made of "paste", a special glass and lead formula originating from George Ravenscroft, a London glassmaker, during the 17th century and perfected by a French jeweler Georges Strass in the 18th century. Each "paste" was handcarved to fit the setting. Paste has become very collectible and desirable and can no longer be made today. T...

The rare fob pendant that is 3 pieces in 1; it includes a beautiful large niello dog clip which attaches to 3 niello links which further attaches to a 2 compartment round locket, .75 inches in diameter.. Long and elegant, the dog clip allows you to connect the pendant from any metal chain. The beauty of niello is that the colors work equally well with yellow gold, rose gold, silver, or even a niello chain. The locket has 2 compartments from which to hold photos. This niello technique derives...

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...

Porcelain hound head whistle made by Royal Worcester. This sweet faced dog may be worn as a pendant on a chain or just kept as a pet. The hound measures 1 3/8" wide by by 1 1/8" deep by 7/8" high.

Antique marquise shaped 18K gold and chrysoberyl ring is an excellent example of Portuguese jewelry of the late 18th century. The Portuguese mined these gemstones from their colony in Brazil and created jewelry that was typically pave-set as seen here. The ring is size 10 and can be sized to fit.

Georgian 18K gold memorial ring set under crystal with a curl of hair and adorned with four rose diamonds. The inscription reads "John Holman ob 28 Oct 1777 age 45. This exquisite ring is a testament to the feelings of this man's loved ones. The ring is a size 8 and can be resized. It measures 5/8" wide by 3/4" high.

Marquis shaped memorialized ring of plaited hair set in 18K yellow gold with the initials LC in gold. The underside of the ring is engraved B.L.C. ob Nov 10 1789 aet 37;. The ring is a size 5 1/2 and due to its small size it was likely worn by the wife of the deceased as a memento while he traveled. The ring measures 1 1/4 at its widest. A wonderful piece honoring love.

In this stunning suite of necklace and earrings, almandine garnets set in gilt metal are fashioned into a striking pair of earrings and choker with drop, which can be removed. The choker is tied on with a ribbon. Much of the jewelry of this period was set with pastes. These pieces are unusual in that gemstones were used. Though called "Queen Anne", jewelry of this type was actually made some 30 odd years after her reign.

Silesian wire jewelry is what is known as Historic jewelry. The craft originated with gunsmiths and armor workers in the medieval town of Gleiwitz, Silesia, (formerly Poland, and now part of Germany and Poland), in the late 1700's. After the business of creating ornamentation for armor was no longer, the artisams found others forms for their craft; mirror frames, purses and other ornamentation where iron was used instead of precious metal. Jewelry making soon followed the making of objects out o...

Amazing "Queen Anne" amethyst paste earrings set in gilt metal. 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. The vivid purple paste stones used are faceted as rose cuts. The earrings have back to front fittings and fit close to the earlobe. There is a matching necklace sold separately.

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. This ring was likely a love token...

The term "pique" comes from the French word "piquer" (to prick) and describes a method of inlaying gold or silver onto tortoiseshell. The craft was discovered and perfected in the 17th century by the French Huguenots. The Huguenots later taught the craft to English jewelry artisans. These classical pique earrings with their Greek key design, are a perfect example of the sophistication, polish, depth and natural beauty of pique jewelry. The crafting of pique jewelry was a true art form, and the t...

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.

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.

Unusual 15K gold memorial ring depicting an urn in hair paint, surrounded by alternating rose diamonds and amethysts. The enameled band reads "John Jenkins died 20 Feb 1780". The back of the ring is engraved "In loving one sincerely there is great merit".

Condition: excellent

Our marquis shaped 18K ring, carved in the shape of the pointed oval and emblematic of the gothic arch, has twelve old-cut rubies and a central cabochon opal accented with rose diamonds. The ring is a "marquis within a marquis" in the way the rubies form the outside border of another border of gold trim, which forms a marquis shape that encloses the cabochon opal and accent diamonds. The pointed oval suggests that this ring was styled in the manner of the gothic revival. The gold band is unus...

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...

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.

The birthstone for December, this antique five-stone turquoise ring, with its smooth, sky blue, nicely matched stones, is 15K and hallmarked Chester, 1907. Turquoise was thought to have talisman properties and to bring good fortune to the wearer. The ring is a size 7.5

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Smart and tailored gutta percha necklace or collar, tie it on and walk away. Gutta percha is a black or brown hard rubber like material made from the sap of a Malayan tree. In the late Victorian period it was molded in various forms to make jewelry. This necklace measures 13" long by 1 1/4" at its widest

Fabulous emerald lizard form brooch! Comprised of of emerald green pastes and set in silver, this is a perfectly proportioned lizard with distinctive silver hands and toes. The lizard's red paste eyes are a perfect compliment to the green paste. Paste was a type of leaded glass formulated in the 18th century. Once it was discovered that glass could provide an inexpensive substitute for the color and brilliance of precious gemstones, its popularity surged and its use continued until the early 20t...

9K Turquoise and pearl pendant with integrated matching turquoise studded large bale and original crystal on a 9K gold back. The turquoise stones and natural pearls have managed to avoid the fate of so much Victorian jewelry, stone discoloration. The pairing of the two types of stones is typical of mid Victorian sentimental jewelry. Small pendants like this one were popular in the early 19th century as sentimental friendship jewelry, to be exchanged among family and friends as tokens of affectio...

Georgian 18K gold cannetille work ring set with a carved turquoise in the shape of a pair of clasped hands, a symbol of friendship. On either side there are set an opal and a garnet. This is truly an unusual and rare ring. It is a size 7 and measures a bit over 1/4" at its widest.

Elegant Georgian pinchbeck Pendeloque earrings with decorative floral accents along the bottom widest part and an attractive carved flower at the ear. The bottom of the earrings are finished with a hand wrought gold ball. Pinchbeck is an alloy developed by Christopher Pinchbeck in 1720 to simulate gold. His alloy of copper and zinc looks like gold and does not tarnish. The earrings are Georgian Pinchbeck Torpedo Drop Earrings with Decorative Floral Accents1 3/4 inches long and ½ inch at ...