Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold (1010)

Wonderful French 18K gold stickpin in the form of a dragon. The detail is incredible. Raised up on his hind legs, with his wings unfurled, the dragon is exhaling tongues of flame. His tail is curled around several times before circling completely around the body to form the circular outline of the stickpin's head. The texture of the feathery wings and scaly body is superb. The back is marked with French hallmarks for 18K gold and an unidentified maker's mark.

Origin: France, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: head, 9/16" diameter; overall length, 3-1/16". Weight: 3.5 grams.

A wonderful Victorian angel skin cameo depicting a 17th century gentlemen set in 18K gold. Male cameos are rather unusual and typically depict deities from the Greco-Roman pantheon or historical figures. This example appears very similar to the Van Dyck portraits of King Charles II. The details of the lace collar, heavy neck chain, ruffled shirt, beard and hair are very finely worked. The cameo is deeply carved, with the white figure standing out beautifully from the soft pink background. The setting is simple, featuring only a simple line of wire-twist decoration. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Probably American, circa 1850
• Excellent condition; no cracking to coral; replaced clasp
• 2-1/32" x 1-13/16"
• 26.8 grams

A fun piece of sporting jewelry depicting a crossed pair of croquet mallets and a coral ball inside the wicket. The banded agate stone is black with a single white line and has never been engraved. Croquet became fashionable among the English elite in 1856 when when the first book of croquet rules was published and the All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon. The fob is stamped “10 ct.”

• Origin: England, ca. 1860
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 3/4” x 9/16” x 1-1/4 (excluding jump rings)
• Weight: 5.0 grams.

A very good Victorian 18K gold watch fob worked with yellow, green and rose gold in an ornate rose pattern and mounted with an oval faceted citrine. The blossoms and foliage completely encircle the domed mounting decorated with stippled engraving. The fob hangs from an ornate foliate scroll. The gemstone in a fob such as this would often have been engraved with a monogram for use as a letter seal, but this citrine was never engraved. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: America, ca. 1880. Condition: excellent, sharp detail. Dimensions: 3/4" x 5/8” x 1-1/4”. Weight: 9.1 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: citrine, 8.0 cts.

An elegant 14K yellow gold Victorian bracelet in a twisted braid design. Interestingly, the bracelet tapers toward either end, leaving the middle heftier. This subtle detail gives the bracelet great elegance. The bracelet could be used to suspend up to 18 charms by passing thin jump rings through the center of each twist. That said, it’s really rather attractive all on its own. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7-7/8” long; 3/8” wide at center
• Weight: 15.7 grams

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 beautiful pair of Victorian 14K gold drop earrings with calibre-cut Persian turquoise, pearls and old mine and rose cut diamonds set in an expanding star pattern. The settings are pierced, lightening the overall feeling despite the earring’s generous size. The edges a finished with a pierced gallery. The choice of gemstones is very nice, the diamonds are bright for rose cuts, the pearls have nice luster, and the turquoise a beautifully matched and without discoloration. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7/8” diameter (excluding wires)
• Weight: 10.6 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .40 carat

A delightful Georgian harlequin ring featuring a marquise cut citrine surrounded by a border of alternating green and red stones—emeralds, rubies and paste. The mixing of natural and paste stones was not uncommon for the period. The citrine is foiled to impart a reddish-orange body color from certain angles. The stones are set in a closed-back setting. The shank is simply enhanced with a fleur-de-lis on each side where it joins the crown. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold, and bearing a later French import mark for 18K.

• Origin: probably England, ca. 1810.
• Dimensions: crown, 3/4" x 7/16”.
• Finger Size: 8 1/4.
• Condition: very good; the central stone has a 1-1.5mm flake on one point only visible upon close examination with magnification.
• Weight: 3.8 grams.

An elegant pair of long 18K gold earrings enhanced with floral shaded enamel plaques. The gold surfaces are intricately engraved to add a bit of sparkle. The earrings have nice movement when being worn. Each is stamped with French 18K marks.

• Origin: France, ca 1840
• Dimensions: 2-9/16" long from top of earwire
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage, replaced earwires
• Weight: 8.3 grams

A Georgian 15K gold gentleman's ring set with a hematite intaglio with a rare image from Greek/Roman mythology. We see the buff god Apollo in his horse-drawn chariot being led by Eros ("Cupid"), the god of love. This scene depicts the beginning of the tale of the water nymph Daphne.

Best know as god of the sun, Apollo was also the patron god of archers. One day, he mocked Cupid for the small size of the latter's bow and arrows. In revenge, Cupid shot Apollo with a golden-tipped arrow that would make Apollo fall in first with the first female he saw. Cupid shot Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow that would fill her with disdain for the first male she saw. Knowing she was nearby, Cupid taunted Apollo then flew toward Daphne's location with Apollo giving chase. The sun god immediately fell in love with Daphne and gave chase until the water nymph begged her father to save her, which he did by transforming her into a laurel tree. Apollo made the laurel tree his symbol, and as a last act of love for Daphne, used his powers of youth to transform the tree into an evergreen with eternally green leaves.

• Origin: England, ca. 1800
• Condition: excellent; all original
• Dimensions: intaglio, 1" x 3/4"
• Finger Size: 7-3/4
• Weight:15.6 grams

A fine example of a French-Flemish croix papillon (butterfly cross) from the northern region of France around Calais. Jewelry scholars believe these were actually made in Belgium (a French region at the time) where they were known as “croix à la Jeannette” (Jeanette crosses). They were popular across the French regions of Picardie and Pas-de-Calais and into Normandie. This example retains all three of its original parts, each worked in gold and silver and set with table cut diamonds. Croix papillon in original condition are somewhat uncommon as they were often separated into multiple components to satisfy inheritance among multiple daughters. The filigree work is very finely done. The upper portion retains its original pair of slides, as these crosses were traditionally worn high from a wide ribbon tied around the neck. At some point, likely in the later 19th century, a pin stem and c-clasp were added for wear as a brooch. Today, the cross can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant suspended from a chain using the slides. There is a partial hallmark with the guarantee stamp “D” suggesting the cross was assayed at Liège.

• Origin: France/Belgium, ca. 1790-1820
• Condition: excellent, all parts intact
• Dimensions: 1-15/16” x 3”
• Weight: 13.2 grams

A lovely Georgian mourning pin worked in 9K yellow gold, the center crystal-covered compartment bordered in faceted jet. Lighter-colored hair is somewhat less common that dark hair, and it contrasts particularly nicely with the black border. The reverse is engraved "Wm Dumelow/ob. 16 Mar/1811 At 42." Tested and guaranteed 9K.

Origin: England, 1811. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 1" x 9/16". Weight: 3.3 grams.

A magnificent late Georgian multi-colored 18-22K gold bracelet comprising ten heavily detailed plaques. Each primary plaque, in the form of scallop shells in a cruciform arrangement with a large multi-tiered rosette at the center set with an old mine cut diamond. Each primary plaque is set at the corners with antique cushion cut Colombian emeralds. The secondary plaques have floral and acorn decoration and smaller rosettes centering old mine cut diamonds. The gold is very subtly colored, with the rosettes being just a shade pinker than the surrounding gold. The smaller rosettes are enhanced underneath the petals with small floral sprays worked in green and rose gold. The surface decoration is simply exquisite. The diamonds are J color, SI1 clarity and have very good brilliance. The emeralds have intense pure green coloring and fine clarity. The bracelet is entirely original, including the box clasp. Testing indicates that the gold content is somewhere between 18K and 22K.

Origin: probably England, ca. 1835. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: 1-1/8" wide; 7-1/4" long. Weight: 62.8 gr. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 1.75 cts; emerald, 1.24 cts.

This exceptional verre eglomise rock crystal panel depicts a maiden in classical dress playing with a hound. She sits on a plinth in a clearing with cypress trees in the background. The scene is backed with grayish mother-of-pearl that seems to create a sky of swirling clouds. The reverse of the pendant is simply finished with pale grayish-blue silk. The plaque is simply mounted in an 18K yellow gold frame with a bail at the top. Verre eglomise was most often used in mourning jewelry, but nothing about the composition of this scene suggests it was created for memorial purposes. In fact, the unusually playful interaction of the dog and the maiden, the latter with a delicately painted smiling face, suggests just the opposite. The pendant was found in France, but the absence of a hallmark suggests England as a more likely place of origin. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: England or France, ca. 1800. Condition: excellent, a 1/8" flake on one edge of the front crystal and a couple of 1/8" faded areas to black border, all visible only with strong, raking light. Size: 1-3/8" x 1-3/4" (excluding bail).

An extraordinarily fine pair of Georgian hardstone cameo earrings set in 15K yellow gold. The cameos, certainly of Italian origin, and possibly several hundred years older than the earrings themselves, are carved from a grayish-green stone with white and rust banding. The images depict a satyr with exaggerated pointy ears and a leering grin, and a female companion with a floral wreath in her hair. In both, the grayish-green stone forms the background, while the facial features are picked out in white, and the floral headdresses have a faint rust tint. The gold settings have cut-down collets and a gentle ogee-shaped outer frame. The cameos are relatively thin and appear to be backed with black wax or pitch to hold them securely in place. The closures are front-to-back hinges. Georgian-era cameo jewelry is quite difficult to find. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

• Origin: England, ca. 1800.
• Condition: very good; no damage or wear except for a small fracture at the uppermost edge of the background in the female cameo visible under magnification.
• Dimensions: 1/2” x 5/8” long (excluding wires). Weight: 7.1 grams.

A pretty late Georgian example of a Halley’s Comet pin worked in 14K (perhaps 15K) yellow gold and featuring a light blue paste stone to represent the comet’s nucleus. The paste is set in an elegant buttercup-type setting accented with an engraved gallery. Blue paste is less common than other colors, and makes a very nice presentation. The comet’s tail depicted in the engraved and voluted gold setting.

In 1705, Edmond Halley correctly predicted the comet’s return in 1758. When it returned again in 1835 (and in 1910), jewelers were ready with fashionable pins to celebrate the comet’s passage.

• Origin: England, ca 1835
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-3/8” long
• Weight: 2.9 grams

A nice Georgian locket in the form of a Maltese cross with a central rock crystal locket compartment. The arms of the cross are made from faceted carnelian plaques mounted in gold around the central compartment. The compartment was intended to hold the woven hair or perhaps a miniature portrait of a loved one. The Cross of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John was created in 1126 based on designs from the Crusades. The eight points of the arms represented truth, faith, repentance, humility, justice, mercy, sincerity and endurance. During the latter Georgian era, romantic notions of history caused the Maltese cross to become a very popular fashion accessory. Tested and guaranteed 12K.

• Origin: England, ca. 1800.
• Condition: excellent; no damage to gold mountings or carnelian; the cross retains its original fluted gold bail; a small (1/32”) flake to one corner of a rock crystal cover.
• Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 1-7/16” (excluding bail).
• Weight: 9.0 grams.

A very nice late Georgian carnelian spinner fob mounted in an 18K gold frame in the form of two intertwined snakes. The snakes are hand-chased with detailed scales and interesting, their heads are finished with duck-bill mouths (complete with teeth) grasping apples. This form is often seen in French silver wine tasters and was intended as a reminder of temptation and the snake in the Garden of Eden. The spiral mechanism in the center of the snakes’ entwined bodies is a spring mechanism that allows the carnelian plaque to be locked into place. The fob is generously sized and would make a stunning pendant. Marked with an indistinct Continental hallmark (likely French) and tested 18K.

• Origin: Continental Europe, probably France, ca. 1830.
Dimensions: 1-9/16” x 1-3/4”.
• Weight: 11.3 grams.
• Condition: excellent; carnelian was never engraved; all original.