We find in this category rings with coral, lava, hair, enamel, amber or any other organic material that can adorn a piece of jewelry and give it a unique appearance.
Moor head cameo ring in 18 karat yellow gold. Antique ring set with a two-tone agate cameo carved with a Moor profile. The shoulders of the ring are decorated with stylized leaves. This type of jewelry is called “Blackamoor”, and emerged in the Decorative Arts in Europe, particularly in Venice, during the 19th century. Antique cameo ring, 1900.
Owl hallmark (french state hallmark for 18 karat gold)
Finger size: 57 UE or 7.75 US (can be resized)
Bezel size: 12.5 x 9 mm
Condition: scratches from use
Weight: 2.69 gr
Memento mourning ring in rose gold 14 karats (585). Memento mourning ring in navette shape. Under a bulging glass is an oval tray circled with gold bearing the initials JO for John Olding, embellished with half fine pearls. The medallion is set on a hairline background in a blue enamel surround with white dots. The shoulders, ring and underside of the plate are chiseled. On the reverse, the ring is inscribed: “Rev’d John Olding Oct 7, 1785 AE: 63”, indicating the identity of the person to whom this ring paid tribute. Antique mourning ring, called Memento ring, dating from the late 18th century, England.
This mourning ring is an English ring made in honor of Reverend John Olding (1722-1785), who died at the age of 63.
Ring acid tested with 14 karat gold
Finger size : 51 EU or 5.5 US (change is possible)
Dimensions of the ring head : 34 mm x 18 mm
Condition : scratches from use, two pearls out of their medallion, some lacks in the enamel
Weight : 5.89 gr
Georgian portrait swivel ring in 18 karat (750) yellow gold. Antique ring with pivoting bezel, decorated with pansies and a portrait of a young woman. The miniatures are painted on mother-of-pearl and circled in black and gold. Swivel sentiment ring from the late 18th century, France.
Marked with a cock’s head facing left, open beak, between 1798 and 1809.
Finger size: 60.5 EU or 9.25 (can be cut to size on request at the risk of losing the hallmark).
Note: the pivoting bezel works.
Condition: scratches, small piece of glass inside the ring.
Weight : 1,14 gr
*The antique case is not sold with the jewel*.
Mid-century leaf ring in 18 karat yellow gold. 70’s ring in a stylized leaf form with filigree decoration, enhanced by a twisted gold strand. The center is decorated with a thin black line of organic material. Mid-20th century ring.
Finger size: 50 UE or 5.25 US (can be resized)
Design size: 21 x 11 mm
Condition: fine wear scratches
Weight : 3.83 gr
Georgian sentimental swivel ring in 18k gold. This georgian ring features a rectangular swivel bezel, with one side containing two intertwined locks of hair—one blonde, the other brown—alongside the names “Alix” and “Virginie,” and the other side displaying a flatly braided hair rectangle. A sentimental ring representing two lovers from the early 19th century, France.
Hallmark: rooster facing right (1798-1809, France)
Ring size: 60 EU or 9 US
Swivel bezel dimensions: 21 x 13 mm
Condition: wear scratches, slight dent inside the band, some hair detached.
Weight: 3.68 gr
Sentimental jewelry, often known as mourning or lover’s jewelry, was particularly popular during the 18th and 19th centuries. These pieces frequently incorporated personal elements like hair, inscriptions, or miniature portraits, serving as intimate mementos of loved ones. Hairwork, in particular, was a cherished practice, symbolizing enduring connections and memories.
Fannière Frères angel ring in 18 karat gold and silver 800. Antique ring with charming decoration, depicting an angel holding a ribbon. The angel is in silver, mounted on a gold ring soberly decorated with fine striations. The ring is signed on the inside. Ring made by the Frères Fannière, famous 19th-century silversmiths, circa 1870, France.
Fannières Frères signature, trace of eagle head, owl and swan hallmarks
Finger size: 55 UE or 6.75 US (can be changed)
Angel size: 10 x 16 mm
Condition: light usual scratches, patinated silver
Weight: 4.68 g
More information : The company was founded in 1839 by François-Auguste Fannière (1818-1900) and François-Joseph-Louis Fannière (1820-1897), nephews and students of goldsmith Fauconnier. At once designers, sculptors, chiselers and manufacturers, they worked for leading Paris silversmiths such as Baugrand, Duron, Wiese, Odiot, Froment-Meurice and Christofle, then under their own name from 1862. The company was taken over in 1900 by François-Joseph-Louis Fannière’s son, then by Fernand Poisson. Few pieces of jewelry have survived.
*The antique box is not sold with the jewel*
Georgian mourning hair ring in 9k pink gold. An antique locket ring keeping a braid of hair enclosed behind glass crystal. It is framed by a halo of 16 seed pearls and the settings is formed by two separated strands adorned with an openwork pattern. Jewel from the beginning of the 19th century, circa 1810-1830.
Trefoil hallmark (French State hallmark for 9-karat gold)
Finger size: 53 EU or 6.5 US (adjustment possible)
Ring Head Size: 11 x 11mm
Condition: old trace of size adjustment, wears on the glass, indentations behind the head of the ring.
Weight: 2.11 gr
Hair jewellery was very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Jewellery with compartments made it possible to keep a lock of hair of a lover or a missing person (later it will be the photograph). It can be a medallion or a ring for example. There are also jewels made from hair, such as necklaces, chains, bracelets and rings. These hair jewels are worked like textiles: they are woven, embroidered, twisted. A whole craft industry developed around this new fashion, which lasted until the end of the 19th century.
Read our article “how to recognize a real pearl?”
*The antique box is not sold with the jewel*
French Victorian pansy ring in 18 karat gold. Antique ring decorated with a pansy in an oval cartouche. Usually, these rings were decorated with multicolored enamels, but these have disappeared. Regional ring, Poitou region, circa 1860, France.
Partially erased horsehead hallmark (french state hallmark for 18 karat gold)
Design size: 10 x 9 mm
Finger circumference: 54.5 UE or 7 US (possible sizing)
Condition: slight wear scratches, enamel decoration missing.
Weight : 1.09 gr
Victorian photo portrait enamel ring in 18 karat gold (750). Victorian sentimental ring with a photograph on enamel depicting a portrait of a man. The photograph is sepia-toned, and the man is dressed in late 19th-century fashion. The ring is set in gold, highly decorated with foliage. Sentimental ring, circa 1860-1870, France.
Eagle head hallmark
Size: 61 UE or 9.5 Us (can be changed)
Bezel size: 2 x 2 mm
Condition: scratches to the enamel, small lack at the bottom.
Weight: 3.08 g
More info: In 1854, Lafon de Camarsac invented photographic enamels, and was one of the first to fix photographic images on metal and ceramic materials. Working with Eugène Disdéri, he joined forces with photographers François Martial Pinel Peschardière (1858-1862) and Étienne-Prosper Berne-Bellecour (1864-1865).
*The antique box is not sold with the jewel*
Victorian bristol blue ring featuring a central navy blue glass plaque, adorned with a silver flower set with Rhinestones. The enameled plaque is also surrounded by Rhinestones. The ring’s shoulders are beautifully decorated with openwork and set with rhinestones. An antique ring from the early 19th century, France.
Hallmarks: Eagle’s head and unreadable maker’s hallmark
Finger size: 55 EU or 7.25 US (resizing possible)
Dimensions: 21 x 10 mm
Condition: Signs of wear and scratches on stones
Weight: 4.2 gr
*L’écrin ancien n’est pas vendu avec le bijou*
Forget-me-not turquoise ring in 18 karat rose gold (750), featuring a central design of a blossoming branch set with five turquoise cabochons and a faceted glass. The ring’s band is hollow and holds a braided lock of hair that decorates the entire circumference of the band. This memento ring dates from the second half of the 19th century, specifically the Napoleon III period.
Hallmark: Owl
Finger size: 61 EU or 9.5 US (resizable).
Band width: 4 mm.
Condition: slight deformation of the band around the hallmark area.
Weight: 1.88 gr.
Georgian diamond portrait ring in rose gold 18 karats and silver 800 thousandth. Antique ring composed of a hexagonal bezel enclosing a lady’s portrait. The miniature portrait is painted on ivory, it is highlighted by a surround of thirty rose-cut diamonds in a silver setting. The basket is beautifully crafted, decorated with scrolls in cartouches corresponding to the hexagonal shape of the jewel. This ring is a transformable piece of jewellery. The bezel can be removed by means of a pin located at the basket.
It is likely that the portrait, once removed from the ring, could be worn as a brooch or pendant by fitting it to another suitable structure.
This ring dates from the late 18th century.
Swan and owl hallmarks (later adds)
Finger size: 51 EU or 5.5 US (sizing possible)
Bezel size : 16 mm x 14 mm
Estimated diamond weight : 0,15 carat
Condition : fine scratches, some oxidation
Weight : 6.50 gr
*The antique box is not sold with the jewel*