Catalog (370)

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.

This marked Dr. Wall period Worcester soft paste porcelain platter has beautiful, crisp "blue scale". It would make a fine addition to an important collection.

Condition: excellent Height: 8 inches

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...

A most interesting mourning ring style of the period; the two sided mourning ring with a swivel bezel. One side has a lock of hair under crystal and is bordered with pearls, representing tears, in a pinched gold setting. The other side is a black enamel rectangle inscribed with Mark Hodgson ESQ died 12 July 1810 aged 52 in gold letters. Our ring is in near perfect condition and appears as if it could have been made yesterday, impossible of course, as the Georgian goldsmith's skills cannot be...

This spectacular mourning band is of black enamel with accents of white enamel and bordered in gold accents. With its breathtaking miniature painting of a young girl, this ring is a fine example of the neoclassical influences of the Georgian period on mourning jewelry. The heavy graphic representations of death so prevalent before this time no longer suited the lightness of the Georgian era. The urns painted in gold over white enamel, the garland or wreath surround, are all examples of the neocl...

A renaissance era poesy ring (spelled posy, posie, or posey), the outer ring of our posy has a chequerboard pattern with the darkly romantic inscription "Yours till death". The u in the letter Yours is written as a V because it is based off the Latin alphabet which used the letter V to represent both letters. Posey rings were popular in France and England between the 1400's and 1700's and were often given as gifts between lovers. Religious messages and messages of love and fidelity were engr...

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...

15K Victorian chain with a link design consisting of two "paperclips" joined together at a perfect 90 degree angle, leading to a lovely unusual lovers knot link where the lover's knot is wrapped in a braided pattern several times about a simple oval link (see close ups). Both the paper clip and the lover's knot links are Victorian motifs used to convey love and devotion. The chain is substantial at 36.3 grams. and at 51 inches can be worn doubled or tripled. There is a nicely scaled dog clip an...

Our poesy ring (spelled posy, posie, or posey) has the deep color of a 22carat ring along with a textured pattern and an interesting inscription "Seale up Secrets" that is both biblical and romantic in substance. The term "seale up secrets" with its Gothic spelling of seale, refers to the biblical phrase "seal up". In the Bible, the phrase "seal up" is often used to refer to something being kept secure until a specific time. The phrase in essence means secrets (between the wearer and the giv...

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...

How rare it is to find an early soft paste porcelain platter of this size, 16" X 20". This platter in excellent condition is made by the "Bow" factory circa 1765

Condition: excellent Width: 16 inches, Length: 20 inches

Elegant Victorian cut steel necklace was worn in lieu of diamonds in an era where sparkling jewelry was in vogue. Cut steel was multifaceted by hand to glimmer in candlelight. This necklace measures 16 1/2" long by 3" at its widest

Our C1790 ring is an 18th century glass intaglio of an ancient signed gem depicting the head of a laughing satyr, or faun (a young satyr). Such carvings were called Tassies (explained further down). "Gems" in this case refers not to precious stones, but to ancient classical Greek carvings, highly valued miniature works of art. Our glass intaglio is signed in Greek for Ammonioy, meaning "by Ammonios". It is not clear that the signature stood for any particular gem engraver; however there are...

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...

Delightful Bilston bonbonniere in the shape of a lion. These enamel on copper boxes were used to hold small hard sugar candies. This adorable lion measures approximately 2" in diameter and 1 1/4" high.

Striking early Edwardian 18K gold ring of a man in a turban set with diamonds. The ring dates to 1900 . The ring has a French hallmark in the shape of a pineapple and a makers mark "JD". It is a size 8 and measures 3/4" at its widest.

Essex crystal carving of a horse and jockey surrounded by rose diamonds. Perhaps they are symbolic of the winners wreath. The crystals are carved in reverse or intaglio into the flat back to create a three-dimension trompe l'oeil effect. The image is then painted in realistic detail. The pin measures 15/16 in diameter.

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...

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...

Authentic Victorian 15K Albert Link Chain with original T BAR and dog clips from which to attach your favorite locket or pendant. The chain is stamped on every link with the 15Ct 625, indicating English heritage, and is 17.8" long. The T bar and dog clips are stamped the same. Alberts are named for Prince Albert who popularized the wearing of a vest with pocket watch and a fob on a chain, the watch in the vest pocket, with fob and T-Bar dangling. Our chain combines two important Victorian motifs...

15K Rare Georgian diamond cluster ring consisting of 6 large stones cut en cabochon (no facets and polished smooth) and set in a radial pattern around a large center diamond. 6 smaller stones are set along the border. The border is crimped, a feature of hand wrought gold-work of this period. The diamonds are set in silver. There is nary a claw in sight as the Georgians believed claws detracted from the beauty of the diamonds. The diamonds are cut, unusually, en cabochon; this means they are no...

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.

Poesy rings were popular in England and France during the 16th through the 17th centuries as lover's gifts. The quotations were often from courtship stories and are usually inscribed on the inner surface of the ring as is the case in this one. This ring amusingly reads "A virtuous Wife Preferreth Life". We imagine that in the 17th century, a woman was indeed better off being virtuous! We think this could make a more unusual and unique wedding band than a gold band. As all gold jewelry in England...

Early C1860 Victorian Marquise shaped ring of 15K gold, silver, enamel and diamonds set in a floral and leaf design. Wow! how fantastic! The stylized leaf form with young diamond buds harkens to the expression “nipped in the bud”, when mourning one who dies too young. The ring is a size 5.5 and can be resized to fit.

The 1920's and 30's was the age of the cocktail party, and the jewelry was characterized by vivid colors and sparkling diamonds. Cuban influences helped guide art deco design toward strong rectilinear geometry. This diamond ring is classic art deco. It is almost a full inch long and .5 inches deep at its widest. The platinum band has engraving.

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.

Bold pave set chrysoberyl ring in 18K gold. The stones came from Portuguese mines in Brazil. Fabulous jewelry was made from the various gemstones exported from these mines until the French invasion of Portugal in 1809. The ring is size 7 1/4 and can be sized up or down.

Our muff chain is known as "pinchbeck" and has a wonderful hand clasp with a diminutive emerald paste ring on the hand and a charming carved ruffled sleeve at the end of the hand clasp. We love “jewelry wearing jewelry” and the hand clasp with its fingernails and green paste ring can only be described as quintessentially Georgian. The links of the chain are embossed with textural dots. While our Georgian pinchbeck long chain was used in its day to hold one's muff, today one wears it for ...

Fabulous Georgian Pinchbeck muff chain with a hand clasp set with colored paste stones. Christopher Pinchbeck developed an alloy of copper and zinc in 1720 that had the look of real gold and did not tarnish. The jewelry made with this alloy survives today giving us the enjoyment of its beauty. A muff chain is a long chain worn around the neck fastened to ladies muffs. This chain measures 49" long by 1/4" wide.

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...

Renaissance 22 Carat signet ring with a deeply carved intaglio puzzle in the form of a pictogram which uses pictures and letters to spell out words that convey its meaning. The rebus reads "Love You" with the heart symbolizing love and the V (based off the old Latin alphabet) for the letter U, representing the vowel U which represents "You". The ring is unmarked and a size 6 and in excellent condition.

Elegant Georgian girandole earrings in 15k gold and cobalt enamel. The gold work is an elaborate Etruscan design adorned with tiny balls. Earrings measure 1 3/4" long and 7/8" wide.

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...

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.

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.