Antique & Vintage Jewelry..Notes & Quotes

Antique & Vintage Jewelry..Notes & Quotes

A Belle Epoque pin of an aquamarine cameo with facetted back- 4 Cupids (putti) playing the part of vintagers. Mounted as a pendant within a rose diamond mille-grain border, hanging within an open frame of floral & leafy branches with a pear shaped diamond hanging below, it is attached by chains to the trumpet shaped flower heads & the suspension loop at the top, all diamond set. Cameo: 18th century style. Pendant: 1905.

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Book Chain or Venetian Chain

This Victorian chain style consists of interlocking links of flat folded metal that resemble the pages of a book.

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Marjorie Merriweather Post with her Daughter, 1929 Artist: Giulio de Blaas - This Cartier Brooch was one of the Post Cereal heiress' favorite jewels. Diamonds & emeralds cascade from a diamond-encrusted buckle. Composed of seven carved Indian emeralds, the main one of which dates to the 17th century & the Mughal period. When Post came into possession of the brooch, she took it to Cartier New York to convert the pendant to its current state in 1928.

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A mid 19th century garnet pendant necklace, circa 1840 The cabochon-cut garnet Latin cross, with single-cut diamond highlights, suspended from a gold snake-link chain with a heart-shaped cabochon garnet slide, length 44.0cm.

Croix a la Jeanette

This is a fine example of a Croix a la Jeanette, defined as a pendant in the form of a Heart with a Latin Cross dangling from it. From French meaning: Cross in the style if Jeanette. It was in fashion around the 1840's.

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You are looking at an antique Black Forest Hunting Relic. These were worn to adorn a traditional folk costumes and thought to bring good luck and protection while hunting. The pendants (whether hunting trophies, silver pendants, or gems) were worn as amulets because of their alleged mystical powers. Each piece was endowed with a special power, to ward off sickness, strengthen the body, keep away evil spirits. A set of teeth represents life, growth and prosperity."

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An Antique Brooch of en pampille design, the floral spray with pavé-set old-cut diamond leaves and single-stone collet detail, suspending nine graduated diamond collet pendants, five with flowerhead surmounts, the brooch detaches to form four individual smaller brooches (fittings deficient), mounted in silver and gold, circa 1860

En Pampille
En Pampille usually refers to a style in which Gems, typically Diamonds are arranged in a cascade. Like the brooch above the gems descend in size and end in a small Icicle-Shaped pendant. They were found mostly in brooches and earrings of the nineteenth century

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Diamond, enamel, pink tourmaline, and high karat gold combine for this exquisite Georges Fouquet-designed French Art Nouveau brooch. The center features an exquisite spray of flowers, decorated with enamel and old European-cut diamonds at the centers. Total diamond weight is: 2.40 cts., and it is valued at $ 10,575.

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Victorian Mourning French Jet Oval Vauxhall Glass Mourning Cameo Brooch 

French Jet
French Jet is a Black Glass which was used throughout the 19th century to simulate Jet. It was used in creating Mourning Jewelry.

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A Victorian sapphire, pearl and diamond fly brooch, the body of a sapphire, weighing 2.35cts in a gold rubover setting, and pear-shaped natural pearl, the wings set with old brilliant-cut diamonds and the legs with rose-cut diamonds, estimated total weight 0.50cts, silver set and mounted on gold, the eyes set with ruby, circa 1870.

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Antique French Blackamoor Carved Cameo Habille Brooch Gold Diamond Ruby

Habille
The Habille Cameo above is a wonderful example of these highly collectible Cameos from the 1840s. The Habille is Cameo jewelry which incorporates jewelry in the portrait, usually earrings or a necklace.

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The oval gold locket enameled with black and white pea-pod ornament at the sides is mounted on the lid with a sapphire cameo portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) and with an onyx cameo bust of Cleopatra with the asp on the back. Inside there is an enameled miniature of Charles I (1600-1648) facing front with a melancholy expression, wearing sash of the Order head standing out against a celestial blue ground. Locket: early 17th century, Cameo: second half of the 16th century.

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French Antique Ring, baroque pearl, stork Aesops fable, Victorian jewellery. 

Jewelry vs. jewellery

For the noun referring to articles, especially of gold, silver, or precious stones, used for personal adornment, jewelry is the preferred spelling in American English. Jewellery is preferred in varieties of English from outside North America. Both spellings appear in Canadian English, but jewelry prevails by a two-to-one margin.

The spelling difference extends to jeweler (American English) and jeweller (British and Australian English), as well as to other derivatives such as jeweled–jewelled and jeweling–jewelling. But jewel (not jewell) is the standard spelling in all varieties of English.

The simpler, American spelling of the word is part of the legacy of Noah Webster, the early-19th-century educator and lexicographer, best known for his 1831 dictionary, whose attempts to reform the language met with varying degrees of success. He didn’t originate the jewelry spelling, but he was instrumental in making it a part of the American language. 

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Victorian Ivory Monkey Bracelet 9ct £1,000 Here is a fantastic and most unusual Victorian bracelet. The bracelet is made up of 6 ivory convex disks each displaying various monkey faces set in 9ct gold. Each disk is separated with double links. The clasp is button release and has intact safety chain. 


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Gold and enamel "macaroni" chatelaine, London, late 18th century

Macaroni
A Macaroni is a longer version of a Chatelaine.
The difference is that the Macaroni doesn't have a belt hook.
The Macaroni chain was draped over a belt and had hooks at either end.
One end usually suspended a small medallion and hooks for a watch or other items.


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Rosary, ca. 1500–1525 German Ivory, silver, partially gilded mounts Each bead of the rosary represents the bust of a well-fed burgher or maiden on one side, and a skeleton on the other. The terminals, even more graphically, show the head of a deceased man, with half the image eaten away from decay. Such images served as reminders that life is fleeting and that leading a virtuous life as a faithful Christian is key to salvation.

German, 17th century, Pendant with a skull cameo. Jasper, mounted in gold; 38mm., 1½in. ~ Photo courtesy Sotheby's

A few unique examples of Antique Memento mori jewelry. 
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Ouroboros in Pere Lachaise. The ouroboros is traditionally depicted as a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail, resulting in a circle. The ouroboros is regarded as a symbol of infinity and renewal. It has also been used as a symbol for totality, mercury, and truth.