Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Jewelry: English (88)

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.

This wonderful lava ring was sold in Naples to travelers on the Grand Tour as souvenir jewelry in the 1820’s to 40's after the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century. Made by Pompeian stone cutters, each of the seven round heads of the ring is distinctly carved and is of a different hue as well as a different mythological figure and comes from a different organic material sourced from Vesuvius...

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.

Dramatic metal Georgian cuff bracelet of rolled gold with slots to adjust the sizing. With its fancy hand worked decorative baroque design bolted to the bracelet, this stylish cuff makes a substantial impact. Leave it to the Georgians to design well made and practical jewelry that can be adjusted to fit different wrist sizes. As added feature, it easily slips on the wrist and firmly closed into a slot with one hand. Well constructed and fashionable cuff to add to your collection.

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...

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...

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.

Amazing "Queen Anne" amethyst paste necklace and earrings set in gilt metal. This style of jewelry has been historically misnamed for Queen Anne, who reigned from 1695 to 1714, as it was made in 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. The necklace is fastened with a ribbon.

Original eighteenth century Chelsea Seal in the form of a grotesque figure of a black masked man with 3 cornered ("tri-corn") hat. The tri-cornered hat was a popular hat worn in the 18th century by both aristocracy and commoners, as it was designed to better reveal one's highly fashionable wig. Our male figure is in black breeches, standing on a white base with the motto "Tou jour gay" ("always happy")...

Exquisite Georgian verre églomisé, or gilded glass, portrait ring surrounded by seed pearls. Verre églomisé is a French term meaning gilded glass and is a decorative technique in which the back side of glass is gilded with gold leaf. The gilding may also be combined with reverse painting on glass as in this case. This ring has very large verre églomisé panel with a black silhouette of a peasant girl against a gilded background...

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.

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...

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.

Georgian almandine garnet ring circa 1770, in an 18K gold basket setting flanked by two cushion cut diamonds. Almandine garnets are purply red and were flat cut as seen here. This lovely early ring is a size 6 1/4 and the stone measures 5/8" wide by 1/4" 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.

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.