A very fine Victorian 14K yellow gold fob or pendant featuring a 23.5-carat oval brilliant cut amethyst nestled in the coiled tail of a ferocious chimera. The mythological beast has an eagle’s head and feathery wings attached the the scaly body of a snake or dragon. The amethyst has moderately saturated medium-purple color and eye-clean clarity. The cutting is good, showing about about 60% brilliance. Jewels featuring mythological creatures become popular in Paris around 1870 and the style quickly spread to America. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, minute abrasions along facet junctions consistent with age visible under 10x magnification. Size: 1-3/16” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 10.79 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 23.5 carats.

A lovely late Victorian 18K yellow gold locket, the cover enhanced with repousse decoration featuring a pair of race horse heads encircled by a wreath of roses. The wreath is tied at the back with a ribbon edged in milgrained platinum and studded with four small rosecut diamonds. The detailing of the design is very nice. The back of the locket has an ornate “SC” or “CS” monogram. The interior retains its original gold frames. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Size: 1-3/16” diameter. Weight: 10.8 grams.

A very attractive pair of Victorian 14K yellow gold and agate earrings. Thin agate discs in shades of black and orange are simply set in bright-cut gold borders. The earrings are large, but the delicate coloring and transparency of the agate gives them a delicate feel. The kidney wires are late replacements. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, replaced wires. Size: 15/16” diameter. Weight: 6.6 grams.

A superb pair of Victorian 12K yellow gold earrings set with Whitby jet. The long triangular elements are suspended from inverted double tear-drop surmounts. The larger pieces of jet are geometrically cut and have an almost modernist quality about them. The earrings demonstrate elegant swinging movement when being worn. These earrings were made from part of an 1860’s Victorian bracelet. Tested and guaranteed 12K gold.

Origin: England, ca. 1860. Size: 1-5/8” long from the top of the wire. Weight: 2.9 gr.

A handsome mid-Victorian Scottish agate pendant featuring pear-shaped cabochons of bloodstone ("heliotrope") and carnelian in a fine gold setting. The gold surfaces are heavily decorated with fiolate engraving. Queen Victoria personally led the fashion for all things Scottish. Most jewels were set in silver; those set in gold were generally made in London using Scottish stones. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

Origin: Scotland/England, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, the piece was originally a brooch and the pinstem and clasp were removed and a bail added for wear as a pendant. Size: 1" diameter. Weight: 11.1 gr.

An outstanding late Victorian tiger’s claw brooch set in 18K yellow gold and accented with blue sapphires. Tiger claws became popular for use in jewelry following Queen Victoria’s proclamation as Empress of India. Big-game hunters often brought back souvenirs of their travels and commissioned jewelry for their friends and family. Usually, the claws are set simply in gold or have an ornate Indian-style mounting, but the use of colored gemstones is extremely rare. The sapphires are of the finest quality—vividly saturated, medium tone, pure blue in color and VSI in clarity. The brooch retains its original extended pinstem. The pin could also be worn as a pendant with the addition of a simple folding bail. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: probably American, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-13/16” x 15/16”. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 1.83 cts.

Fine Napoleon III 18K yellow gold pansy brooch, the upper large petals accented with a lacy pierced floral border and the lower petals with a row of alternating rose cut diamonds and antique cushion cut rubies. The gold surfaces have a matte finish that mimics the velvety texture of pansy blossoms. Delicate engraving brings out the veining on the lower petals. The diamonds and rubies are of fine color. In the Romantic language of flowers, the pansy was used to symbolize remembrance (the French word for pansy is the same as the word for thought). The diamond and ruby border is faintly heart-shaped, perhaps adding another layer of secret meaning. The back retains the original extended pinstem and c-clasp fully stamped with French 18K hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1850. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 1-3/8" x 1-7/32". Weight: 5.7 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .37 ct; ruby, .72 ct.

An elegant pair of Victorian 18K yellow gold earrings fashioned as lover’s knots, with neither beginning nor end. The gold surfaces are decorated with an ornate foliate pattern, interrupted by flush-mounted antique cushion-cut diamonds, sapphires and rubies. The gemstones are of very fine quality, with deeply saturated color and eye-clean clarity. The sapphires have the characteristic velvety quality typical of the finest Kashmir stones and the rubies are characteristic of old Burmese material. The use of red, white and blue stones was particularly popular around the time of the American Centennial celebration in 1876. The overall effect is quite stunning. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1876. Condition: excellent; replaced wires. Size: width, 3/4”; length from top of wire, 1-1/8”. Weight: 8.7 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .52 ct; ruby, .23 ct; sapphire, .23 ct.

A particularly nice 14K gold lucky 4-leaf clover pin/pendant, the leaves entire covered in fine seed pearls. The tip of each each leaf is set with a row of bright, grassy green demantoid garnets. This use of demantoids is quite unusual and makes this piece very desirable. The back retains the original folding bail, so the clover can be worn as either a pin or a pendant. The back is marked “14K” and also has an unidentified maker’s mark.

Origin: America, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent. Size: 1-1/16” x 1-1/8”. Weight: 6.3 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: .29 ct.

Superb pair of Victorian 12K yellow gold long earrings set with Whitby jet. The long triangular elements are suspended from inverted double tear-drop surmounts. The jet set in the main body are geometrically cut and has an almost modernist look. These earrings are made from part of a 1860s Victorian bracelet. They have great swinging movement and are long, but are very comfortable because jet is such a light material. Tested and guaranteed 12K gold.

Origin: England, ca. 1860. Size: 1-3/4" long from the top of the earwire. Weight: 4.0 gr.

A wonderful Victorian 18K gold acrostic gemstone brooch the shape of an artist's palette. The bright dabs of paint are indicated by a ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby and diamond, the first letters of which spell out the sentiment "Regard". The gems are The design of the pin also includes paint brushes, a drafting instrument, and a hand rest, all tied together with a rag. The gold surfaces are enhanced with a softly bloomed "Russian finish" that was popular in the last decades of the 19th century. Details such as the bindings on the brushes, the lead in the drafting pencil and the pad of the hand rest are detailed in platinum. The gemstones are of fine quality, with bright color. This piece has great wit and the workmanship and detailing are superb. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold and platinum.

Acrostic jewelry first became popular in early 19th century France and remained popular for decades. Gemstones were used to spell sentiments such as "regard", names, important dates, etc. Rings are, by far, the most common pieces of acrostic jewelry. Brooches are quite uncommon.

Origin: probably America, ca. 1895. Weight: 8.8 grams. Size: 2-5/8" x 3/4".

An extraordinarily fine Victorian 14K yellow gold and enamel pocket watch chain in the Aesthetic style. The heavy chain comprises ribbed open links joined by doubly-interlocking textured open links. Near each end, the chain is set with a shell-motif bead accented with opaque black taille d’epargne enamel. The original t-bar is heavily decorated with acanthus leaves and geometric motifs typical of the Aesthetic era, all enhanced with enamel. At 15-1/4” long, the chain is just long enough to be worn about the neck as a short necklace or doubled twice at the wrist as a bracelet. And of course, it can still be used with a pocket watch and fob. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

Origin: America, ca. 1870. Condition: excellent, all original, enamel intact. Size: 15-1/4” long. Weight: 27.0 gr.