H Stern Amethyst Ring

Born into a Jewish family in Essen, Germany, Hans Stern (1922–2007) fled with his parents to Rio de Janeiro at the onset of World War II. There he landed a job working for the precious stone and mineral exporter Cristab. Thus began Stern’s rise to become “the king of the colored gems,” as the media would dub him, and founder of the family-owned H.Stern jewelry business that now has over 150 stores worldwide.

While working for Cristab, Stern regularly visited mines on horseback. At the remote mines of Minas Gerais, Brazil, he cultivated relationships with many of the miners, developing professional connections that would endure for decades. He also embraced a fascination with the colorful semiprecious stones harvested in the area. In 1945, he started his own company, H.Stern, with the goal of marketing Brazilian gemstones — then virtually unknown on the global stage — to an international audience.

Though the company began as a trader in gemstones, it soon expanded to jewelry, with Stern assembling and training a team of young jewelers. A frequent motif in the company’s designs was the star, as Stern is “star” in German. In 1949, H.Stern opened its first jewelry shop in Rio de Janeiro, but a storefront was not his customers’ only view into the brand’s jewelry-making process. In the 1950s, Stern became one of the first major jewelers to offer tours of his workshop, showing off the creative process and elevating the role of craftsmanship in jewelry design.

Stern’s approach and his vibrant jewels, which favored organic settings designed to show off colorful gems, earned international recognition and put Brazil’s topaz, amethyst and tourmaline on the map. Tourmaline was reportedly Stern’s favorite, and the company’s Rio de Janeiro vaults are also home to Paraíba tourmalines, which are mined in the mountains of Paraíba, Brazil. He recognized the burgeoning tourism industry in the country as an opportunity to promote the beauty of these stones, opening stores in the lobbies of Brazil’s leading hotels and investing in vehicles to bring visitors to the H.Stern headquarters. By the mid-1990s, the company was opening stores abroad and selling jewelry at international department stores.

In the 1980s, the brand debuted its first celebrity collaboration, with French actress Catherine Deneuve. Since then it has worked with partners such as designer Diane von Fürstenberg and architect Oscar Niemeyer. In 2016, Assouline published a book on the 70-year history of H.Stern, from its humble founding to its worldwide acclaim. Today, the company is run by Stern’s son, Roberto, who has introduced a broad range of new collections and styles.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of H. Stern necklaces, rings, earrings and other accessories.

There are few gemstones in the world that are both affordable and worthy of a duchess’s attention. But then not many stones are as beautiful as amethyst. Indeed, vintage and antique amethyst jewelry has innumerable fans, and February’s birthstone has many unique attributes. For the romantics, there are several tales in Greek mythology that tell the story of Bacchus and Amethyste, a maiden that he pursues yet is rescued by Diane by turning her into a white stone. Bacchus, mourning his love, pours a glass of wine over the sculpture, dyeing her purple.

Amethyst has adorned many royal jewels. One of the most enviable jewelry collections of all time belonged to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. In 1947, the Duke gifted her with a Cartier amethyst and turquoise bib necklace. This special order piece was made with twisted 18-carat and 20-carat gold, platinum, brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds, one heart-shaped faceted amethyst, 27 emerald-cut amethysts, one oval faceted amethyst, and turquoise cabochons. The Duchess was not the only Royal with a penchant for the purple gemstone. The tiara now owned by Queen Silvia of Sweden is set with amethysts that once belonged to the French Empress Josephine. A stunning 56-carat cushion-cut, square-shaped amethyst set in an 18-karat yellow gold necklace designed by Tiffany & Co. is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The Smithsonian also has in its possession an even more rare example of fine amethyst: the 96-carat Morris Amethyst Brooch. The brooch features a deep, rich purple heart-shaped amethyst. The museum states that the piece was likely made during the Edwardian period (1901–15) “when platinum and diamonds were often used, and amethyst, a favorite stone of King Edward VII’s wife, Alexandra, was often included in jewelry of the era.”

Another amethyst necklace, with an even richer story, can be found in the Natural History Museum of London. Known as the Delhi Purple Sapphire (even though the stone is an amethyst), this stone was stolen from the Temple of Indra during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Anyone in possession of this stone is bound to have terrible luck, including its owner Edward Heron-Allen, who gifted the gemstone to the museum thinking that this would save him but ended up transferring the bad luck to the museum curators overseeing the stone.

Find a wide range of vintage and antique amethyst necklaces, bracelets and other fine jewelry on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.

No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.

Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.

Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings. 

The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry. 

The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.

Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.