Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold (984)

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 three-color faceted overlay glass locket in a rolled gold mounting. The glass is cut to show the layers of red, white and blue opaque glass. The back cover is ruby glass dark enough to appear opaque black unless held to the light.

Origin: France, ca. 1875

Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks

Dimensions: 1" x 13/16"

An important artist-designed 18K yellow gold and emerald ring by Maison Gennari of Paris. The ring is styled in the Art Nouveau taste, with a voluptuous mermaid surrounded by waves and seaweed. She leans against a pair of cabochon emeralds, whose green color reinforces the watery feeling of the design. The ring is stamped with French 18K marks and is signed by Maison Gennari.

Francois Gennari was a jeweler who collaborated with sculptors to create one-of-a-kind jewels. The works were displayed at the Galerie Gennari at 25, rue Bonaparte in Paris. Gennari primarily used the lost-wax method, insuring that each piece is virtually unique.

Origin: France, ca. 1965. Condition: excellent, all original, sharp detail. Dimensions: shank tapers from 9/32" to 5/8" wide. Finger Size: 6. Weight: 18.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 1.24 cts.

A handsome Art Deco 14K yellow gold man's ring, the stepped crown featuring a square synthetic sapphire in a millegrained collet seeeting flanked on either side by a round diamond. The diamond are graded as I/SI2. The sapphire has bright blue coloring and very good saturation. Men's rings from this period nearly always used synthetic sapphires mixed with diamonds. The interior of the shank is marked "14K".

Origin: America, ca. 1940. Condition: excellent. Finger Size: 10-1/2. Weight: 6.0 grams Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: sapphire, 1.0 ct; diamond, .2 ct.

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 small fob seal featuring an amethyst tablet set in a fluted closed-back setting surmounted with ornate scrollwork. The amethyst tablet bears the monogram “RB” and a heart-shaped lock and a key. The lock and key are rebus images carrying the message “Key to my heart.” This fob is perfectly sized to wear alone as a pendant or on a heavy chain or bracelet as one of multiple charms. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

• Origin: England, ca 1830
• Condition: very good
• Dimensions: 5/8" x 1-1/8"
Weight: 7.5 grams

A truly superb and rare example of a Georgian mourning ring, the navette-shaped crown set with a mourning scene on ivory covered with a rock crystal dome. The scene depicts are pair of doves perched on the edge of a fountain. The doves are worked in a thick application of enamel so they stand out from the ivory background like a bas-relief. Doves were commonly a reference to the Holy Spirit The fountain itself is made with gold borders (presumably 15K) infilled wth enamels and highlighted with floral swags applied with watercolors. A matching swag, centering a seed pearl, is suspended above the birds and fountain. The crystal is surrounded by a border of bright green and white enamel worked in a scalloped pattern. White enamel is rather uncommon and was nearly always used sparingly to reference the purity of a deceased woman. The use of green is extremely rare. The interior of the shank has an engraved monogram and a partial date that was obscured when the back of the shank was sized. At the time of the sizing, the interior of the shank was also stamped with a modern American 14K hallmark. The shank itself, however is completely original and is actually 15K gold, as is the crown.

Origin: England, ca. 1785. Condition: excellent, minute loss to enamel, sized. Finger Size: 6-1/2. Size: crown, 7/8” x 11/16”. Weight: 5.2 grams.

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”.

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 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

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.

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.

A stunning Georgian 18K gold textured chain necklace suspending a graduated series of nineteen carved hardstone hearts. The colorful stones include lapis lazuli, moonstone, opal, carnelian, moss agate, porphyry, chrysoprase, banded agate, jasper and more. Stones such as these would have been mined in many different parts of the globe, and wearing a necklace of such "specimens" would have indicated wealth as well as a certain curiosity and intelligence about the world. The heart theme expressed the sentimental side of Georgian jewelry. The chain is entirely handmade and is fastened with the original barrel clasp decorated with beading in the Etruscan manner. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

Origin: France or England, ca. 1800. Condition: very good, several of the hearts have minor roughnesses to the edges consistent with two centuries of wear. Length: 16-3/4". Weight: 19.0 gr.

A stunning Georgian floral pendant worked in silver-topped 18K gold. The radiating petals are studded with diamonds in the newly fashionable “a jour” or open settings that came into vogue around 1800. The selection of diamonds is a virtual history of early diamond cutting and includes rose cuts, Mazarin cuts, table cuts, and Peruzzi cuts. The flower is centered with an unheated cornflower blue sapphire, likely of Ceylon origin. The back of the setting is ornately engraved in a sort of starburst pattern. There’s a small hole in the back of the setting that would have held a long pin attachment so the piece could be worn as a hair ornament. The flower has been converted for wear as pendant with the discreet additional of a hidden bail. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

• Origin: France or England, ca. 1795
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-1/2” diameter
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, 5.6 carats; sapphire, 1.65 carats
• Weight: 18.3 grams
/ul>

A wonderful Georgian 18K gold ring featuring a bold royal blue enamel plaque enhanced with a gold and seed pearl applique of a pansy. The blossom is set with a rose cut diamond at the center. The entire plaque is enclosed within a rococo floral border. The shank is decorated with complimentary floral elements. In Georgian jewelry, the pansy was used in jewelry given to loved ones with the sentiment "thinking of you". Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Origin: England, ca 1770
• Condition: very good; enamel has a couple of areas of surface flaking to the uppermost layer of the enamel, so the color remains intact throughout
• Dimensions: plaque, 1-3/16" x 15/16"
• Finger Size: 6-1/4
• Weight: 7.1 grmams

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.

A particularly attractive Georgian example of a Halley’s Comet pin worked in 18K yellow gold, accented with black enamel, and featuring a comet head set with a bright green paste stone to represent the comet’s nucleus surrounded by old cut clear paste stones representing the bright coma. The pastes are set in an elegant buttercup setting with a fluted back. The gold setting also has engraved decorative elements representing the comet’s tail.
In 1705, Edmond Halley correctly predicted the comet’s return in 1758. When it returned in 1835 (and in 1910), jewelers were ready with fashionable pins to celebrate the comet’s passage. Most often, these pins are in lower karat gold, instead of 18K as in this example. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

• Origin: England, ca 1835
• Condition: excellent, flakes on the green paste are visible only under magnification
• Dimensions: 1-3/16” long
• Weight: 4.4 grams

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).