Romantic Giardinetti ring in 18k yellow gold and silver. Antique ring with a motif of a flower basket, set with colored rhinestones (green, red, and blue) and marcasites. The gold ring of the ring is later than the basket. Late 19th-century jewel, in the romantic spirit of 18th-century rings.
Owl and swan hallmark (French state hallmark for 18-karat gold and silver)
Finger size: 56 EU or 7.75 US (resizable)
Dimensions of the chaton: 19 x 18 mm
Condition: Modified ring, crack at the ring starting from the hallmark, scratches from use.
Weight: 3.54 gr
Learn more: Giardinetti rings, or “Little Gardens” in English, appeared in the late 17th century. In the 18th century, the naturalistic trend charmed goldsmiths, leading to the creation of many pieces adorned with floral and animal motifs, especially insects. Giardinetti rings often appear as bouquets of flowers and foliage tied with a ribbon or in the form of a bouquet in a small basket. Highly prized in the mid-18th century, they were mostly made of gold and silver, and sometimes in metal adorned with rhinestones.
Fleur-de-lis gold brooch in 18k (750) hollow gold. Brooch in the shape of a fleur-de-lis, adorned with three fine pearls in a cartouche.
France, antique brooch circa 1900.
Eagle head hallmark (french state hallmark for 18 karat gold)
Dimensions: 35 x 28 mm
Condition: signs of use
Weight: 4.29 gr
Symbolism: The lily has been a symbol of royalty for centuries. The fleur-de-lis is believed to have appeared for the first time on the scepter of Charles the Bald (823-877), the grandson of Charlemagne. The French royalty, therefore, chose this emblem just as other reigning European families chose the eagle, lion, or leopard. For centuries, until the revolution, the fleur-de-lis became a heraldic symbol on monuments, currency, clothing and tapestries, sculptures, statues, art objects, paintings… To express their opposition to monarchy and Catholicism, the revolutionaries destroyed numerous sites and artworks marked by this symbol.
Antique ram cameo ring in 14-karat rose gold (585) centered around an agate cameo depicting two rams side by side. One has its head turned towards the inside of the ring. Roman cameo from the 1st or 2nd century AD, 19th-century setting.
Shell hallmark (French State hallmark for 14-karat gold)
Adjustable ring size: 6.75 US
Cameo dimensions: 12.5 mm x 13.4 mm
Condition: loss on the edge of the cameo, setting with depressions.
Marquise Catalan garnets ring in 18-karat rose gold. This marquise-shaped ring features a navette-cut garnet at its center, surrounded by eight round garnets cut in the Perpignan style. The central garnet is mounted on a structure fixed by attachments/rings to the ring head. The “Perpignan cut” garnets are mounted on paillons and set in a closed setting. They typically have a raspberry, pink-red color, which is typical of Catalan jewelry, with a range of nuances that are revealed in sunlight. The ring has understated decoration on the shoulders. The gold structure is finely decorated with V-shaped triangular figures on the edges, and the bottoms of the gem settings are domed. This regional marquise ring is from the mid-19th century in France.
Horse head hallmark (1838-1919) and Mercury head hallmark. Illegible regional hallmark.
Large French regional clasp in 18-karat rose gold (750). This large Normandy clasp is made of hollow gold. It is richly decorated with colorful enamels. On one side, three partially enameled flowers blossom in the center of the clasp within a cartouche. The cartouche is surrounded by a frieze of dots and semicircles. On the other side, a flower basket composed of pansies, wheat, a rose, and a tulip is featured within a blue enameled cartouche. The presence of pansies is typical of the iconography of sentiment jewelry from the early 19th century, signifying “think of me.”
This Normandy regional clasp is a French sentiment jewel from the early 19th century.
Clasp Dimensions: 35 mm x 19 mm.
Condition: Scratches from use, missing enamels, slight indentations.
Georgian Maltese cross chalcedony pendant in 14k gold (585). This antique reliquary cross is made of four chalcedony elements forming a cross, held together by a central gold element with delicate engraving. This central element likely originally contained a woven lock of hair beneath glass, although it is no longer present. The pendant has an intricately decorated bail. This Georgian cross t is from around 1820.
Dimensions: 60 x 34 mm.
Note: Similar Georgian Maltese crosses can be seen in the Victoria & Albert Museum in England.
Condition: Missing the central protective glass, some oxidation.
Georgian agate drapery necklace in yellow and pink gold 14 karats (585 thousandth) and 18 karats (750 thousandth). Rare and old necklace drapery and negligee composed of cabochons of cornaline, alternated with cabochons of agate dendritic. The gems are linked together by fine chains of braided 18 karat gold. In the centre of the composition, the carnelian cabochon is surrounded by fine pearls and holds two moss agates in pendeloque (sloppy necklace effect). The clasp is a ratchet box, which is discreetly hidden under an element of the necklace.
Antique necklace, 19th century, probably English work.
Victorian garnet bangle bracelet in 18k rose gold. Bangle bracelet featuring a central element set with four large cabochon almandine garnets, topped with a cross set with 18 fine pearls. A drop-shaped motif set with fine pearls complements the main element. Central element from the 19th century, bangle from the early 20th century.
Cloverleaf hallmark
Dimensions of the main motif: 20 x 26 mm
Inner circumference: 16.3 cm
Condition: soldering traces visible under the main element
Victorian enamel ring in 18-karat yellow gold (750). This ring features an oval setting centered with a rose-colored glass cabochon, simulating a ruby, surrounded by a black enamel striated design. The shoulders of the ring are subtly decorated with fluting. The ring dates back to the Napoleon III period, French Victorian period, circa 1870/1890.
Hallmark: Owl (French hallmark for 18-karat gold).
Ring size: 59 EU or 8.75 US (resizable).
Setting dimensions: 12 x 9.5 mm.
Condition: Shows signs of wear, small lack of enamel and small scratches on the cabochon.
Hexagonal photo locket pendant in 18 karats gold. This antique locket pendant takes on the shape of a hexagon with a simple, undecorated gold border. The top section, beneath the bale, unscrews to open the pendant, revealing two beveled glasses inside. It can be used to insert a photo or a lock of hair. The pendant contains a miniature depicting a Saint or Saintess adorned with a crown of pink flowers and what appears to be a sword. The flower crown is an attribute of Saint Dorothée or Rosa de Lima, but there’s some uncertainty regarding this iconography. Above the saint’s halo, the word “félicité” (happiness) is discernible. This is an antique pendant from the mid-19th century.
Owl hallmark
Dimensions (including bale): 38 mm x 22 mm.
Condition: Signs of wear, invisible chip on the glass (under the mount). The miniature can be removed.
Large enameled poissardes earrings in 18 karat rose gold (750). These substantial poissarde earrings are centered with a blue, green, and white enameled pansy, surrounded by a midnight blue enamel frieze punctuated with gold dots. The main motif is framed by two stars on a painted gold background. Poissardes, circa […]
Antique Iberian foiled citrine earrings in 18k gold (750) and silver, set with citrines and flat diamonds. Earrings are made up of five articulated elements, each adorned with small diamonds and large citrines set in gold on a pink-red foil. They are called “Oil and Vinegar”. The pendants are fastened to the ears by clips, formed by a yellow gold screw system that grips the earlobe. Georgian foiled back citrine and diamond earrigns, circa 1780-90, Iberian Peninsula.
Dimensions: 74 mm x 20 mm
Condition: oxidation; inner crack in one of the citrines, the fastening system has been modified circa 1920.