An extremely fine and rare Georgian 12K gold bracelet featuring a large rectangular plaque of landscape agate flanked by seven smaller rectangular plaques. With only a little imagination, the central panel appears to represent a grouping of trees in front of distant mountains, while the smaller plaques seem more like tree-covered islands in a calm lake. Landscape agate was popular for small brooches in the Georgian era, but large examples made of several matched pieces such as this are extremely rare. The plaques are set in 12K yellow gold frames with typical Georgian chased scrolled and beaded decoration. The agate displays warm shades of tan, brown and grayish-cream. The bracelet has a replaced hidden box clasp (14K), but is in otherwise perfect original condition.

Origin: England, ca. 1800. Condition: excellent, clasp replacement. Size: 23/32” x 6-7/8”.

A beautiful Georgian mourning pin worked in 15K yellow gold with black enamel accents. The domed crystal cover encloses a watercolor on ivory memorial scene highlighted with snippets of hair. The scene depicts a rifle and hunting bag, a dog and a willow tree. The rifle indicates that the brooch was intended to memorialize a gentleman and the willow tree was a symbol of sorrow. The dog waits patiently at attention by his master’s belongings, symbolizing loyalty. The concept of loyalty was an important symbol in Georgian jewelry, but the dog motif is not often encountered. The leaves of the willow tree and the grass on the ground are made from very fine snippets of hair. The design is completed with the monogram “L St.” The brooch retains its original extended pinstem and c-clasp. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

Origin: England, ca. 1790. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-5/32” x 25/32”.

A very fine and exceedingly rare mid-17th century low-karat gold “Stuart crystal” memorial slide. Such pieces were secretly worn by loyalists to mourn the deposed and executed King Charles I in 1649. Eventually, they were used to mourn other deaths, as well as to celebrate betrothals and weddings. This is a particularly fine example, combining a crystal-encased miniature portrait of a well-nourished lady, regally dressed in a gown of red velvet with gold embroidery and ermine fur trim. A black mourning veil with a widow’s peak covers her hair. Four rose-cut crystals appear at the corners. Two of them enclose a gold wirework crown over a bed of woven hair, while the other two feature gold wirework entwined “CC” ciphers over a hair background. Slides such as this were threaded onto a wide black ribbon and worn on the wrist. They are generally oval or rectangular with rounded corners, but the addition of the four “jeweled” corners is most unusual. Since the portrait miniature depicts a woman in mourning, it is most likely that the image is of the slide’s owner herself rather than the deceased. The entwined “CC” cipher used in conjunction with the crown imagery suggests that this slide is an early piece that actually commemorated the death of King Charles rather than a later piece memorializing someone in the lady's family. To the casual observer it would have looked only like a miniature portrait with decorative corners, allowing the lady to express her secret grief without unfortunate political consequences for herself.

Origin: England, ca. 1650. Condition: excellent, vivid coloring to the portrait, no losses or water damage to the wirework or hair. Size: 1-1/8” x 1-1/16”.

An outstanding late Georgian cluster brooch featuring large cushion cut pink pastes interspersed with smaller round colorless pastes, all set in a fine 9K yellow gold setting. The stones are separated with gold ornaments shaped as bellflowers. The back retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp. As Georgian paste pieces go, this is top-notch, with a really superb setting. Tested and guaranteed 9K.

Origin: England, ca. 1820. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-3/4” x 1-1/2”. Weight: 18.4 gr.

An exceptionally rare and fine 18th century 15K yellow gold mourning ring, the crown comprising a very large verre eglomise panel with a black silhouette of a gentleman against a silvered background. The lace and brocade collar is exquisitely detailed. The edges of the panel are finished with bright-cut engraving, a design repeated at the top edges of the shank. The back of the glass panel is curved for comfort when being worn. Everything about the ring is of the finest quality. Its size and graphic appeal make a statement. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

Origin: England, ca. 1780. Condition: excellent, no damage to glass panel. Size: 1-5/16" x 13/16". Finger Size: 9-3/4.

An exceedingly rare Georgian 18K yellow gold pendant locket celebrating the first manned flight by the Montgolfier brothers from Paris in 1783. Hot air balloons were one of the scientific wonders of the late 18th century, and balloon designs were worked into furniture, textiles, clothing and jewels. This locket features a hot air balloon carved from a piece of mother of pearl and then decorated with gilding and realistic painted detail. The balloon is affixed to a pale blue silk background and enclosed behind convex glass in an 18K yellow gold frame bordered by a ropetwist motif worked in gold and natural seed pearls. The edges of the frame are further accented with a beaded ogee design and bright-cut stippling. The back of the locket, also glass covered, features a mother of pearl plaque painted with the initial "F.H.", also affixed to a blue silk background. A piece such as this would most certainly have been made-to-order, so it is not surprising that it is unmarked. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

The rarity of this pendant really cannot be overstated. Very little late 18th century French jewelry survived the Revolution and pieces with a Montgolfier theme are exceptional.

Origin: probably France, ca. 1785. Condition: excellent; a small piece of the balloon carving has become dislodged (probably from the top finial of the balloon) and slipped toward the bottom of the frame (the frame could be opened the the loosened piece reattached). Size: 1-7/8" x 1-5/8".

A stunning Charles X 18K yellow gold and amethyst swivel watch fob. This fob features the sort of over-sized gemstone fashionable during the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France. Amethysts were very costly stones in the early 19th century, and a specimen of this size would have been a head-turner. The amethyst has nice medium-violet coloring with moderate color zoning. It is set in a simple collet border punctuated with elegant fleur-de-lis prongs. The swivel is held in place by a crescent-shaped frame decorated with fluting. The same decoration appears on the swivel bale. Generally, stone fobs such as this were engraved with a coat of arms or monogram. This example was never engraved, possibly because the owner didn't want to alter a stone of this size. The fob is fully hallmarked with the "tete belier" hallmark for 18K.

Origin: France, ca. 1825. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-9/16" x 1-1/2" (excluding bale). Weight: 19.25 grams. Approximate Total Amethyst Weight: 52.39 carats.

A wonderful Charles X watch fob and seal, the gilt bronze figure representing the theme of “Temptation”. A hooded monk, his hands piously folded across his chest, is shown standing perilously close to a nude woman. The woman is pressing her breasts against the monk and appears to be whispering into his ear. Erotic themes such as this were enjoyed by gentlemen of the period as subtle elements of naughtiness in their otherwise restricted daily lives under the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy and its Catholic traditions. Certainly, a fob such as this might also have been seen as a commentary on the Catholic church, itself. The detail of the workmanship is superb. The seal is formed from a rectangular plaque of carnelian with canted corners. The stone has never been engraved.

Origin: France, ca. 1830. Condition: excellent, gilding intact, no damage to stone. Size: 7/8” x 11/16” x 1-1/2”.

A lovely small Georgian mourning pin worked in 9K yellow gold and featuring a border of faceted jet around the central glass-covered hair receptacle. This example is particularly nice because it contains a plait of rarer blond hair that contrasts handsomely with the unusual jet border. The back is engraved “Wm Dunelow/ ob. 16 Mar/ 1811 At 42”. The pin retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp.

Origin: England, ca. 1811. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1” x 5/8”.

A marvelous Georgian cross pendant worked entirely in seed pearls and centering an oval cut citrine in a 9K gold push-up setting. Seed pearl jewelry became popular during the last quarter of the 18th century and remained in fashion for about fifty years. The forms were cut from pieces of mother-of-pearl then drilled with tiny holes. Strands of horsehair, bleached to become white and translucent, were used to sew hundreds of tiny natural seed pearls to the form. The center citrine adds a bit a sparkle to what would otherwise be a very chaste piece. Some of the pearls in this piece are quite large for seed pearl jewelry. Although pearls are associated with purity, crosses are difficult to find in seed pearl jewelry. The 14K gold bale is recent.

Origin: England, ca. 1775. Condition: excellent, some glue reinforcement of the horsehair in places on the back. Size: 2” x 1-3/8”.

Phenomenal formal Georgian earrings in silver-topped gold set with diamonds and amethysts. The earrings are comprised of foliate surmounts set with rose-cut diamonds suspending pear-shape drops set with diamonds and amethysts, further suspending fringes of kite-shaped tassles set with diamonds. All the original diamonds are in place and are of very nice quality for the period. They are bead-set in open mountings. The amethysts are flat-cut pear-shapes and are set in closed backs typical of the period. They have excellent, rich coloring and do not appear to be foiled. The mounting has very nice detail and millegraining. The lever-back posts are original.

Origin: probably England, circa 1790. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 2-1/16" long from top of surmount to bottom of fringe, 11/16" at widest. Weight: 8.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamonds, 1.8 carats; amethysts, .75 carat.