Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold (1002)

An unusual combination of classic Victorian insect jewelry and the patriotic color combination popular around the time of the Centennial celebrations of 1876. The insect’s folded wings are set with pairs of rubies,sapphires and diamonds. The thorax is represented with a single bezel-set diamond and the eyes are small rubies. Neither the rubies nor sapphires have evidence of heat treatment. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1876. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: head, 11/16” x 11/16”; overall length, 2-5/8”. Weight: 1.86 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .17 ct; ruby, .09 ct; sapphire, .07 ct.

Breathtaking French 18K gold, silver, diamond and pink tourmaline brooch from the reign of the Emperor Napoleon III. The brooch is formed as a naturalistic swirl of leaves, set throughout with rose-cut diamonds. The design features three large old mine-cut diamonds, each a bit larger than 1/2 carat. The center stone is prong-set while the outer stones are collet-set. The old European cut diamonds are scattered along an unusual knife-edge setting at the top of the brooch. The gold setting is topped with silver in the traditional style of 19th century French jewels. The brooch suspends a collet-set oval pink tourmaline cabochon topped with a collet-set old European-cut diamond. The diamonds used in the period, as would be expected of such a significant piece. The color is a very bright white and the clarity is quite good for the period. The tourmaline is a soft pink shade with just a tinge of violet. The brooch retains the original extended pinstema and c-clasp, both of which are stamped with French 18K marks and the mark of an unidentified jeweler (AH).

Origin: Paris, ca. 1855. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-5/8" x 1-19/32". Weight: 11.25 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 2.6 carats; tourmaline, 1.5 carats.

Victorian 15K gold garnet lover's knot hair locket. The locket features an unusually bright large garnet cabochon surrounded by a gold frame in a rope twist motif tied with a lover's knot to form the bail. The reverse features a small rock-crystal compartment containing woven hair. Hair lockets could either be love tokens or mourning jewelry or sentimental jewelry. The lover's knot does little to clarify which is the case for this particular piece, though the absence of an engraved date on the reverse suggests that it might have been a love token. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

• England, circa 1835.
• 1" x 5/8"
• Weight: 6.9 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 15.33 carat

A very fine 18K gold brooch/pendant in the form of a mythological basilisk (cockatrice) pierced through with a jeweled sword. This example is entirely handmade and finished with expertly chased scales and feathers. The quality of workmanship is superb. The wings are formed separately and arranged in a manner that gives the piece great dimensionality. The outer wing is set with a round ruby of very fine color and clarity and the eye is set with a tiny cabochon ruby. The hilt of sword is set with seed pearls with a natural oval pearl at the tip. The gold surfaces have a slightly matte Russian finish. The back retains the original clasp, large watch hook and pendant loop. Many would call this creature a griffin, but with its body of a serpent and with head and wings of a bird, it is more properly considered a basilisk or cockatrice. Such creatures were popular in the late Victorian era. There is a possibility that the back is marked with a script signature, but it is far too difficult to be certain. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: probably America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, sharp detail, all original. Dimensions: 40 x 40 mm (1-1/2 x 1-1/2 in). Weight: 13.2 gr. Approximate Total Ruby Weight: .15 ct.

A beautiful French silver-topped 18K yellow gold floral pin from the era of Emperor Napoleon III. The pin is designed as a spray of three flower buds, each just about to open into a different color. The flowers are bead-set with rose cut diamonds, and the colors are represented by rows of cushion and round cut sapphires, rubies and emeralds. Each bud is centered by a larger rectangular cushion cut diamond set in prongs. A pair of diamond-set leaves and a small diamond-set bud appear below. The bottom of the sprig is also bead-set with diamonds. The top surfaces of the gold are covered in silver to heighten the appeal of the diamonds, in keeping with the mid-19th century practice. Realistic floral spray jewelry became very popular because of the extraordinary pieces commissioned by the Empress Eugenie from Bapst. The back retains the original c-clasp and extended pinstem (stamped with the French “tete d’aigle” hallmark for 18K gold).

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-3/4” x 1-3/16”. Weight: 7.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .981 carat; sapphire, .126 carat; ruby, .147 carat; emerald, .085 carat.

A very finely-made Victorian memorial ring worked in 18K yellow gold and plaited hair. The ring is designed as belt, ornately decorated with open navette- and trefoil-shaped reserves, each showing the loved one’s hair. The gold surfaces are nicely engraved, and the whole is finished off with an ornate buckle centered with a escutcheon engraved with the initials “MW”. In Victorian symbology, the belt represented not only eternal love, but also strength and protection. A ring such as this, tightly surrounding the finger, would be an ever-present reminder. Buckle rings, even those with hair panels, were not always for mourning, but rather sentimental pieces. Since the band is not engraved with a name or death date in the interior, it’s quite likely that this ring was intended as a romantic symbol. The interior of the band is stamped with 18K gold marks for Chester in the year 1883. Rings of this type are much more common in lower purity gold such as 9K or 12K.

• Origin: Chester, England, 1883.
• Dimensions: band, 8/32” wide; buckle, 10/32” wide.
• Finger Size: 9-1/2.
• Weight: 3.1 grams.
• Condition: excellent; sharp detail; hair is perfect.

An important 19th century brooch of carved coral lilies nestled among 18K yellow gold chrysanthemum leaves set with old mine cut diamonds. The lily blossoms are fully three dimensional and are carved from the finest Mediterranean red coral, most likely harvested from the Italian coast near Naples. The heavily detailed gold leaves have a strong sculptural quality with undulating movement. Every surface is set with old mine cut diamonds of exceptional quality, averaging I/J color and SI clarity. Diamonds, collet-set and suspended from knife-edge mountings, also form the flowers' anthers. Diamonds are also set into portions of the stem that can't be seen from the front. Exposed areas of gold are delicately hand-engraved. The back of the brooch retains its original extended pinstem c-clasp. There is also a threaded aperture that was probably originally used to attach the brooch to a comb so it could be worn as a hair ornament. Tested and guaranteed at least 18K (it appears to be a little higher, perhaps 19-20K).

Origin: probably France, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent; one gold stem appears to have an old repair; no breaks in coral; no replacements. Dimensions: 3" x 3-5/8" x 1-1/8". Weight: 54.9 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 10.0 carats.

A wonderful Imperial Russian witch's heart brooch and pendant worked in silver-topped 14K gold and set with 78 rose cut diamonds and a heart-shaped garnet. Interestingly, the garnet is not cut in a standard heart shape, but in a slightly curved fashion that echoes the overall shape of the pin. The heart is topped with a ribbon motif. In Victorian jewelry symbolism, the witch's heart conveyed the meaning, "Bewitched by love." The brooch is Russian, but the pinstem and clasp were replaced around 1920, and at that time the brooch was then marked with a transitional Polish hallmark used 1920-21 to remark items that had been created during the time Poland was occupied by Imperial Russia. The brooch also retains the original Russian maker's mark "KK".

NOTE: The chain is shown for display purposes only.

• Russia, circa 1850
• 15/16" x 1 5/16"
• 7.6 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 2.0 carats; garnet, 2.66 carats

A spectacularly fine, museum-quality Victorian figural watch fob worked in 18K yellow gold and platinum depicting Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes." The seal shows the fox's head, jaws agape, straining to reach a juicy cluster of grapes that are just barely out of reach. Every tiny detail of the fox's fur, teeth, tongue is beautifully worked, as are the leaves and distinct individual berries making up each cluster of grapes. The leather strap is enhanced with three additional grape elements.

The seal surface is worked in platinum engraved through to the underlying gold. The crest is that of the Scottish clan Irwin (variously spelled Irvine, Irving, etc.) with the first two words of the family motto, "Sub Sole Sub Umbra Virens."

The Albert swivel clasp is stamped with a French goldsmith's mark, but it's likely that fob is English and the swivel clasp is an addition from the 1920s. The metals are tested and guaranteed as 18K gold and platinum.

Origin: probably England, ca. 1875. Condition: excellent, all original with the likely exception of the swivel clasp. Dimensions: fob length, 1-5/8"; overall length (including Albert clasp), 5-3/4". Weight: 48.9 gr.

A very fine French Belle Epoque 18K yellow gold brooch set with diamonds, blue sapphires and demantoid garnets around a central sugarloaf cabochon 3.59-carat peridot. The demantoids exhibit the desirable horsetail inclusions characteristic of Russian stones. The combination of blue sapphires and the bright grassy green of the demantoids and peridot is very pleasing. All the smaller stones are old mine cuts. Six small rose-cut diamonds are collet-set in silver. The back retains the original c-clasp and extended pinstem which is fully stamped with French "tete d'aigle" hallmarks for 18K gold and with an illegible goldsmith's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2" x 19/32". Weight: 6.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .15 carat; sapphire, .4 carat; demantoid, .46 carat; peridot, 3.59 carats.

A classic Victorian double belcher chain link necklace composed of interlocking double links in 14K gold. Substantial enough to be worn alone or suspending a large pendant or locket, the chain can also be worn wrapped three to four times around the wrist as a bracelet. The links are also open enough that the chain can suspend multiple smaller pendants or charms. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

• Origin: America, ca. 1890.
• Dimensions: 28” long.
• Weight: 18.2 grams.
• Condition: excellent, no repairs.

A lovely double-sided 18K gold and crystal locket, the gold rim elegantly decorated with a bound reed design in the Louis XVA style. The round faceted crystal covers are suspended in a diamond-shaped open frame. The locket is cleverly constructed with a hidden screw mechanism that allows the gold frame to expand so the crystal covers can be removed for adding or changing the locket's contents. Double-sided porte-photos were often used to display a photo on one side and a tiny lock of hair, a pressed flower or some other memento on the back. They could also be used to display a "public" photo on one side and a more private image on the other. These lovely little pieces have become increasingly difficult to find. Fully stamped with French hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks to crystal. Size: 1-5/16" x 1-5/16" (excluding bail).

A very fine and moving 18K gold and enamel locket in loving memory of Francis Mary, Viscountess Forbes who died on Christmas Day, 1877. She married the Viscount Forbes, 26 years her senior when she was just 21 years old. She was predeceased by her husband, and though she never became a Countess, their son inherited the title Earl of Granard. The locket was likely made for her granddaughter-in-law, Beatrice Mills Forbes, an American heiress who was Viscountess Forbes at the time of Francis Mary’s death. Lady Forbes led a rather fascinating life, as Queen Victoria’s confidante and one of her longest-serving Women of the Bedchamber (1837-1874). Even in her later years, she remained an Extra Woman and was called to Court for special occasions.

The front of the locket is beautifully worked with a black enameled cypher surmounted by an Earl’s coronet against a bloomed gold finish. The back is similarly decorated with an engraved cypher and coronet. The interior features an area for a portrait on one side, and a glass compartment enclosing a twisted lock of Francis Mary’s hair on the other. The frame surrounding the hair is engraved “Francis Mary Viscountess Forbes/Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth/b. 21st Oct. 1811/d. Christmas day 1877.”

• Origin: England, 1877
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, dings, etc.
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” x 1-5/8” (2-1/4” with bail)
• Weight: 26.2 grams.

A wonderful 18K yellow gold and Essex crystal stick pin dating from the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. The head features a reverse-carved crystal decorated with a scene of a horse and rider jumping over a stone wall in a grassy field. The coloring is very finely done in pale shades. Essex crystals—especially those with sporting themes—were very popular in England and the United States. Occasionally, they were made in France, as well. French examples can often be identified by the use of a gold background under the crystal instead of the mother-of-pearl more frequently used in the US and England. The back of the gold mounting is stamped with the “tete d’aigle” hallmark for 18K gold and also with an illegible goldsmith’s mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, no damage or wear to the crystal. Size: overall length, 2-15/16”; head, 11/16” diameter. Weight: 5.0 grams.

An elegant antique jewelry case covered in rich lipstick-red red velvet finished with satin trim and passementerie trim. The interior is covered in matching tufted silk. The interior of the lid is gilt-stamped “Horlogerie Bijouterie Brilloit Blaye [France].” The box was probably originally meant for a small pocket watch or a medallion. Records indicate the shop was located at 2, cours de La Fontaine as of 1889.

• Origin: France, ca. 1889.
• Condition: excellent; bright color; only the most minimal of wear at the corners.
• Dimensions: 2-1/8” x 2-1/8” x 1-3/8”.

A gorgeous 18K yellow gold circle brooch surrounding a spray of diamond flowers tied with a golden ribbon. The brooch dates to the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. One flower is centered with a .39-carat rose cut diamond and the other two are set with .17-carat old mine-cut diamonds. The remaining 31 diamonds in the brooch are a mix of rose-cuts, old mine-cuts and single-cuts. The stones are of particularly good quality for the period, with bright color and excellent clarity. The piece has considerably more sparkle than most French pieces of the era. The ribbon at the base is realistically engraved. The sides of the brooch have a very nicely-worked saw-pierced gallery. The back retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp, stamped with the "tete d'aigle" mark for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1855. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-1/4" diameter. Weight: 9.5 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.97 carats.

A handsome griffin with back-stretched wings, a lion’s head and a curling serpent’s tail grasps an old mine cut diamond in this 19th century French brooch and necklace slide. Interestingly, the creature’s tongue is licking the diamond. The eye is set with a small faceted ruby. The back retains the original pin stem and a hinged clasp so the griffin can be attached to a chain. The hinged clasp is marked “Déposé” meaning the griffin was a patented design. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold. A bail could easily be added for wear as a pendant.

• Origin: France, ca. 1880
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-1/2” x 3/4”
• Approximate Diamond Weight: .12 carat
• Weight: 4.7 grams

A fine and ornate Victorian quadruple foxtail watch chain worked in 18K gold with rubies and bloodstone. Two slides, each with engraved floral decoration and set with cushion cut rubies, enhance the chain. The two slides are drawn close together so the chain plaits itself in the middle. One end of the chain terminates in a dog clip clasp. The other end terminated in a watch key and a fob seal decorated to match the slides. The fob seal is also set with rubies along the sides and ends in a bloodstone plaque (unengraved). The rubies have vivid color and show no indications of heat treatment. The chain, dog clip, key and fob are all marked individually with early 19th century French 18K gold marks. A chain this ornate would have been worn as a “gilletière” high on the vest so it would be readily visible to others. The chain would be lovely styled into a longer necklace with other chains.

• Origin: France, ca 1840
• Condition: excellent, all original
• Dimensions: overall length: 13-3/4”; fob, 1” x 3/4"; key, 2”
• Weight: 40.4 grams
• Approximate Total Ruby Weight: 1.44 carats