Catalog: Estate Jewelry (1639)

A fine 18K yellow gold Victorian bracelet in the Etruscan Revival taste. The bracelet comprises ten 7-mm gold beads ornately decorated in twisted wire- and bead-work. Two 8.5-mm beads flank the clasp. The beads are joined by trace link chains, the larger beads being separated at a greater distance from the others. The placement of the hallmarks on the chain segments indicates this is the original design of the bracelet and that it has not been altered. French 18K hallmarks.

Origin: France, ca. 1860. Condition: excellent. Size: 7-1/2". Weight: 6.5 grams.

A fabulous ring converted from an antique French 18K gold stick. The fleur-de-lis is beautifully embossed with lots of detail. A delicate row of three natural seed pearls accents the design. The 18K gold crown is mounted on a 14K gold band.

The fleur-de-lis ("lily") was the traditional symbol of French royalty.

Size: 6-1/2 (can easily be sized up or down). Dimensions: crown, 1/2" x 11/16". Weight: 1.9 gr.

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, enhanced with flush-mounted antique cushion-cut diamonds, sapphires and rubies. The gemstones are of fine quality, with deeply saturated color and eye-clean clarity. The use of red, white and blue stones was particularly popular around the time of the American Centennial celebration in 1876. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1876
• Condition: excellent; replaced wires
• Dimensions: 3/4” x 1-1/8” from top of wire
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .52 carat; ruby, .23 carat; sapphire, .23 carat
• Weight: 8.7 grams

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.

A very attractive pair of Victorian beanback cufflinks, the oval faces set with with pyrope-almandite garnet cabochons. The gemstones have a much brighter red coloring than many garnets. The gold settings are decorated with foliate scrolled borders. The backs of the faces are marked “14K”.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Size: 9/16” x 7/16”. Weight: 5.0 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 5.0 carats.

An elegant pair of drop earrings featuring a cushion cut ruby surrounded by rosecut diamonds and seed pearls. The diamonds are set in platinum. The whole is finished with a pierced gallery. The rubies have nice color that contrasts beautifully with the pearls and glittery diamonds. The earrings were created from a French Victorian bar pin with the addition of new 18K wires. Tested and guaranteed 18K and platinum.

• Origin: France, ca 1890
• Condition: excellent; converted from a pin
• Dimenions: drops, 3/8" diameter; length from top of wires, 13/16"
Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: ruby, .22 carat; diamond, .10 carat
• Weight; 1.5 grams.

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 lovely early Art Nouveau 18K gold sliding locket by the acclaimed medallist Jean-Baptiste Emile Dropsy. The front cover shows a bare-shouldered woman wearing a diamond necklace and hair ornament feeding a diamond seed to a bird in mid-flight, all surrounded by a bough of chestnut leaves. The diamond accents (“habillé”) add a bit of sparkle to the design. The bird appears to be a dove, representative of “love” in Victorian symbology, while the chestnut leaves represent the sentiment “do me justice.” Taken together, the message means some along the lines of wishfulness for being treated well in love. Dropsy was an early Art Nouveau designer and his female designs tend to be a bit more teasing Gibson Girl than the more overtly sexy nudes that came along a decade or so later. The back cover is decorated with a curved spray of roses complete with thorns. Roses were also used to symbolize love, and when thorns are present, sometimes hinted that love is not without occasional pain. The interior of the locket retains its original frames and mirrored glass, which could be replaced with photos if desired. The locket is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca 1895
• Condition: excellent, all original, a small ding on the back cover visible in strong raking light
• Dimensions: 1-1/8” x 1-1/8”
• Weight: 11.9 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .06 carat

A striking pair of double-sided cufflinks made from Georgian cut steel and garnet buttons joined with 15K yellow gold chains. The garnets have very attractive medium-bright purplish-red coloring that contrasts nicely with bright sparkle of the cut steel “gems.” The garnet cabochons are held in place with fleur-de-lis shaped prongs. The faceting style of the steel indicates they were made in an earlier period, likely no later than 1790. The connecting chains have spring rings, so one face of each link can be removed for ease in placing the cuff hole. One of the spring rings is 9K and the other is gold-filled. They can easily be replaced with 14K by any jeweler. The back of one face has a worn engraving and the date 1871—probably they year the chains were added to the then 100 year-old buttons.

Origin: England, ca. 1770/1871. Condition: very good. Dimensions: 9/16” diameter. Approximate Total Garnet Weight: 30.7 cts.

A nice Victorian 14K gold by-pass bangle bracelet, the top adorned with a spray of wheat set with turquoise cabochons and tiny seed pearls. In the Victorian era, sprays of wheat were intended to represent “posperity.” At a time when a woman’s fortunes depended entirely upon those of her husband, a bracelet such as this may have been gifted for the wedding as a hope for the bride’s future prosperity. The bangle is hinged, so it is easy to put on and remove. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

• Origin: America, ca. 1880
• Condition: excellent, a couple of pinpoint dings on the side right next to the push-clasp
• Dimensions:1/2” wide; 6-1/8” circumference
• Weight: 17.2 grams

Lovely French Second Empire 18K yellow gold, ruby and pearl earrings. Each earring features a surmount set with a round ruby in a buttercup mounting suspending a scrolled drop terminating in a second ruby and seed pearl drop surrounded by an engraved horseshoe. The rubies are relatively pastel, with a soft reddish-pink coloring. The earrings have lots of movement and sparkle. The original wires are stamped with French 18K marks.

• Origin: France, ca 1850
• Condition: Excellent
• Dimensions: 1-11/16" long (from top of ear wire); 1/2" wide.
• Weight: 3.8 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: .76 carat

A pair of fine shakudo ornaments originally mounted in Victorian times as a pair of cuff buttons, and then re-imagined by our jeweler as an elegant split-chain pendant necklace. The two plaques feature a court lady and gentleman in Meiji-period costume. After the collapse of the feudal Samurai system in Imperial Japan, Europeans collected old sword and armor fittings such as these to set as jewelry. The mountings and chain are 14K.

• Japan, ca 1890.
• Excellent condition, sharp detail and finish.
• Dimensions: each plaque, 15/16" x 13/32"; total pendant length, 2"; total necklace length, 18-1/2".
• 13.8 grams.

This classic late Victorian bangle bracelet is set with a row of gorgeous opal cabochons in graduated sizes enhanced with old European cut and single cut diamonds. The opals have superb play of color evenly spread across the stones’ surfaces. Primary colors are blues and greens with shots of orange and red. The interior of the bracelet has a jeweler’s inventory number, but no maker’s mark. It is presented in a fitted box that appears to be original. The interior of the box bears the name Wm Mossman, Jeweller & Goldsmith, 135 Princes St (Edinburgh, Scotland). The clasp is stamped with French import marks. Tested and guaranteed 15K.

• Origin: Scotland, ca. 1900
• Condition: mint
• Dimensions: 7/16” wide at front; 6-1/8” circumference
• Weight: 17.3 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: opal, 7.36 carats; diamond, .37 carat

An exquisite Art Nouveau pendant/brooch in 18K gold with diamonds, pearls, and enamel. A lily pad, enameled in translucent shades of green, yellow, and rose centers the brooch, and is surrounded by whiplash curves of 95 round diamonds. A large diamond-set lily blossom appears at the top of the frame. All the diamond areas are set in silver-topped gold, as was the custom in French jewels of the period. The design is accented with pearls, including a pearl drop at the bottom. The piece has a brooch attachment, but also has a pair of small bails so it can be worn as a pendant. The brooch fitting, where the original French hallmarks would have been, has been replaced. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

• Origin: France, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent, brooch fitting replaced, no enamel damage
• Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 2-3/16” (36 x 55 mm)
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.9 carats

A stunning French 18K yellow gold and diamond pansy brooch in the Art Nouveau taste. The petals are beautifully decorated in translucent enamels shading from silvery white to cream to rose. The outer ruffled edge of each petal is outlined in small rose cut diamonds. The pansy is centered by a larger rose cut diamond of unusually good color and clarity. As is typical of 19th century French jewels, the diamonds are set in silver. Each petal is cast separately and then attached to the others with a screw mechanism. The back has a replaced pinstem and clasp. Tested and guaranteed 18K gold.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, one 1/8" area of flaking enamel visible under magnification. Size: 1-1/4" x 1-1/4". Weight: 18.1 grams. Approximate Total Diamond Weight: 1.385 cts.

A very good and unusually heavy pair of Victorian yellow gold double-sided cufflinks, the oval faces studded with rose cut diamonds and antique cushion cut blue sapphires in star settings. The gemstones are set in alternating rows for visual interest. The sapphires have vivid medium-dark violetish-blue color with excellent clarity and show no indications of heat treatment. The diamonds are lively with nice color and clarity. The gold is treated to the slightly matte Russian finish that was popular in better jewelry at the end of the 19th century. The cufflinks are unmarked, but are guaranteed to be at least 18K. Testing suggests they are more likely 19-20K, but definitely lower than 22K.

Ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Size: 3/4” x 1/2". Weight: 12.5 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .24 carat; sapphire, .72 carat.

A very nice pair of 14K yellow gold bean-back cufflinks by L. E. Garrigus & Co. The oval faces center buff-cut amethysts surrounded by gold borders ornately engraved in a foliate pattern. The smooth upper domes of the amethysts contrast nicely with the faceted pavilions that add a little shimmer. The connectors are stamped with Garrigus' 14K hallmark.

Origin: America, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent. Dimensions: 11/16 x 9/16 inch. Weight: 6.8 grams. Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: 8.6 carats.

A pair of handsome 18K yellow gold cufflinks designed in an Art Nouveau interpretation of Gothic Revival. The heavy pierced front faces are reminiscent of the ornate carved stone bosses at the interesections of the ceiling ribs in a Gothic vaulted ceiling, while the back faces are pure Art Nouveau with whiplash curves. The pairing makes for a very attractive combination. The backs of the faces and the chains are stamped with French 18K marks.

Origin: France, ca. 1890. Condition: excellent, all original. Dimensions: front faces, 5/8" x 5/8"; back faces, 1/4" x 7/8". Weight: 9.3 gr.