Oscars

Boucheron sapphire and diamond cluster ring. Set to centre with a round old cut natural unenhanced Ceylon sapphire in a open back rubover setting with an approximate weight of 2.50 c...

Fancy intense yellow diamond flanked solitaire ring. Set to centre with a cushion shape old mine natural fancy intense yellow diamond, SI1 clarity, with a weight of 2.39 carats, in a...

Gold and enamel memorial pendant with locket back. A disk form pendant centrally decorated with a circular enamelled plaque containing a blue forget-m...

Aquamarine, diamond and synthetic ruby cocktail ring, circa 1945. A yellow gold ring set with one central octagonal emerald-cut aquamarine...

Art Deco Colombian emerald and diamond ring. Set to centre with a single octagonal emerald-cut Colombian emerald with minor clarity enhancement in an open back claw setting with an a...

Post Medieval posy ring 'Live in love and love in god *'. A smoothly conforming posy ring, engraved to the interior 'Live in love and love in god *' approximately 5.9mm in width. Tes...

Victorian natural pearl and diamond cluster earrings. A matching pair, set to centre with a round natural saltwater pearl in a half-drilled open back setting, two in total, approxima...

Pearl and black enamel memorial ring. Set to centre with an oblong crystal slice covering plaited hair in a closed back setting, encircled by a row of twelve natural half seed pearls...

Moonstone, diamond and ruby cabochon brooch by Carlo & Arthur Giuliano, circa 1890. Four large drop shaped moonstone cabochons with an approximate...

Post Medieval gold puzzle ring. A gold puzzle ring consisting of three interlinked hooped sections featuring a twist to top, the three sections can be...

Vintage fancy colour diamond cluster ring. Set to centre with a round old cut natural unenhanced fancy deep yellow brown diamond, SI2 clarity, in an open...

Colombian emerald and diamond earrings. A matching pair, each centrally set with an octagonal emerald-cut natural Colombian emerald with insignificant indications of clarity enhancem...

Star ruby carved emerald and diamond ring. Set with a natural unenhanced oval cabochon star ruby displaying strong asterism with an app...

Georgian crystal, garnet and enamel memorial ring. Set with a circular border of sixteen cushion shape old cut natural unenhanced garnets in closed back cut down settings with a comb...

Yellow Ceylon sapphire three stone ring. Set with three octagonal emerald-cut natural unenhanced yellow Ceylon sapphires in open back ...

Cartier diamond crossover ring. Set with two drop shape brilliant cut diamonds, one D colour, VVS2 clarity, with a weight of 1.17 carats...

A yellow gold and platinum necklace composed of a horizontal openwork oval pendant with a central urn decorated in stripes of green plique-a-jour enamel and bordered with single rows...

Cartier diamond flank solitaire ring. Set to centre with a rectangular step-cut diamond in an open back claw setting, with an approximate weight of 0.95 carats, flanked by two rectan...

Ancient Roman Hippocampus intaglio ring. Set with an oval nicolo onyx intaglio depicting a hippocampus facing left, in a closed back roman-set setting, flanked by broad integrated sh...

Chaumet Burmese ruby and diamond cluster ring. Set with six oval old cut natural unenhanced Burmese rubies in open back claw settin...

Georgian hair slide or scarf slide. A yellow gold hair slide, featuring a hand with ruffled cuff holding a sprig of leaves and berries between the index an...

Drop shape old mine diamond earrings. A matching pair, set with a drop shape old mine diamond in an open back claw setting, two in total, one D colour, SI1 clarity with a weight of 1...

Viking gold stamped ring. A large yellow gold ring featuring a curved bombe' shaped plaque, with raised linear detail to the centre and decorated with a series of repeated triangular...

Art Deco cushion shape old mine diamond ring. Set to centre with a cushion shape old mine diamond, J colour, VVS2 clarity, with a weight of 3.24 carats in an open back rubover settin...

Natural lavender jade bead necklace with diamond set clasp, circa 1950. A necklace composed of thirty three untreated lavender jade spheric...

Sapphire and diamond cluster ring. Set to centre with a cushion shape old mine diamond in a open back rubover setting with an approximate weight of 2.05 carats, surrounded by forty s...

Diamond line bracelet. Set with forty one square step-cut diamonds in open back half rubover settings with a combined approximate weight of 16.40 carats, to a striking articulated li...

Victorian five stone diamond ring. Horizontally set with five cushion shape old mine diamonds in open back rubover settings, with a t...

Antique enamel bug brooch. Set to centre with five round rose cut diamonds in closed back grain settings with an approximate combined weight of 0.05 carats,...

Stuart sardonyx cameo of John Milton mounted in a Victorian gold ring. Set with an oval sardonyx 17th century cameo in a rubover setting featuring ...

Synthetic ruby and diamond buckle ring. Set with three rectangular baguette cut synthetic rubies in open back rubover settings with a combined approximate weight of 0.30 carats, furt...

Late Medieval iconographic ring depicting the Holy Trinity. A yellow gold ring featuring a central rectangular plaque, finely engraved with the figur...

Byzantine betrothal ring, 7th-8th century AD. A yellow gold ring with square plaque-form bezel engraved with two crowned full-length figures ...

Burmese sapphire and diamond cluster ring. Set to centre with an oval old cut natural unenhanced Burmese sapphire in an open back claw and rubover setting with a weight of 2.64 carat...

Old cut diamond flanked solitaire ring. Set to centre with a round old cut diamond, G colour, SI1 clarity, with a weight of 2.24 carats, in an open back claw setting, flanked by six ...

Georgian 'urn' blue enamel mourning ring. Set centrally with a crystal covered rounded marquise shape plaque in a closed back rubover setting, enc...

Vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond and lapis lazuli 'Philippine' ring. Set with eighteen round old cut diamonds to a central curving bezel in grain settings with an approximate combined weight of 0.60 carats within twisted rope effect borders, flanked by two tapered domed lapis lazuli smoothly conforming down the shoulders to a yellow gold solid D-shape shank. Marked 18 carat yellow gold, signed 'VCA', numbered '66 B6001 C343', maker's mark 'P&Fils' for Péry et Cie...

Van Cleef & Arpels gold bracelet. A yellow gold articulated bracelet comprised of sixteen sections of seven rows of horizontal tubular woven links interspersed with a vertical yellow...

Art Deco flanked solitaire diamond ring. Set to centre with a single rectangular emerald-cut diamond, H colour, VVS1 clarity with an approximate weig...

Victorian micro mosaic pendant. Set to centre with a circular panel of fine micro mosaic depicting a floral arrangement, further set to ...

Georgian hair, diamond and pearl mourning ring. Set with twenty eight round rose cut diamonds in closed back grain settings with a combined approximate w...

Diamond floral spray brooch. Set with one drop shape old mine diamond in an open back cutdown setting with a weight of 1.80 carats, and fif...

Art Deco sapphire and diamond ring by Oscar Heyman Brothers. Set to centre with three square step cut natural unenhanced Ceyl...

Ruby and diamond brooch. Set to centre with thirty four square baguette cut natural unenhanced rubies in open back channel settings with a combined approximate weight of 3.40 carats,...

A yellow gold ring with heavy asymmetrical bezel composed of a drop shaped cluster of nineteen carved oval sapphires in claw settings with an approximate total weight of 20.00 carats...

Antique shell cameo brooch and earrings by John Brogden, English, circa 1870. A yellow gold suite of jewellery, the brooch composed of a horizontally situated oval Bull’s Mouth shell cameo of the Greek goddess Selene riding a serpentine dragon in a rubover collet setting, encircled by a conforming frame of gold beading and twisted gold wire punctuated with four gold palmette form plaques engraved and decorated with dark blue enamel and placed at the cardinal points, the reverse mounted with a hinged pin and scroll clasp, the earrings each composed of a vertical oval Bull’s Mouth shell cameo engraved with a bust length portrait of Selene with crescent-set headdress, encircled by a conforming frame matching that of the brooch with the addition of a pendant decoration composed of a horizontal bar of gold beading and twisted gold wires suspending gold link chains graduated from centre and ending in conical gold elements, the reverses mounted with French wire fittings, all in a fitted red leather case, the interior marked ‘FIRST CLASS PARIS MEDAL/ 1855.1867.1851/ PARIS FIRST CLASS & LONDON PRIZE MEDALS/ JOHN BROGDON/ Goldsmith/ MANUFACTORY/ 16, Henrietta St. Covent Garden/ London’. The cameo—defined as a gem, usually either a mineral or a shell, upon which a design has been carved in relief—is believed to have originated in Hellenistic Greece, during the third century BC. These miniature sculptures, at that time confined to the medium of hardstone, are thought to have been made with the primary purpose of personal adornment. The same practice of mounting cameos in jewellery was then continued by the Ancient Romans, and they are known to have been worn by many a Roman emperor. After the fall of Rome the fashion for cameos went into a decline, until it was again revived during the Renaissance period, brought about by a keen interest in the ancient world. At this time both antique and contemporary cameos were mounted in jewellery, as well as collected as objet d’art. The art of cameo cutting was revived in Italy, where it would remain a centre for the coming centuries. Again there was a lull in interest in carved gemstones, until the Neoclassical revival of the eighteenth century, largely stimulated by the discoveries of the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. As with the Renaissance, antique specimens were generally prized over modern cameos, and the worldliest men in Europe held them among their collections of art and antiques. That said, carving centres in Rome and Torre del Greco (near Naples) in Italy were established in response to the demand of the Grand Tourists, who travelled to Italy and Greece to become educated in the wonders of the ancient world. It was at this time that shell cameos, mostly made in Torre del Greco due to its proximity to the sea, became more popular, owing to the relative ease in carving shell over hardstone. In addition to Rome, hardstone cameos also became a specialty of Idar Oberstein, Germany, which had a long history with both the gem mining and cutting trade. In a shift away from the collector’s cases of the previous century, the nineteenth century saw a strengthening in the fashion for wearable cameos. After the Empress Josephine donned a cameo-set suite of jewellery at the coronation of Napoleon in 1804, cameo jewellery became all the rage. Napoleon played a further hand in promoting the art by establishing a gemstone carving school in Paris, inspired by his appreciation for the arts of the ancient world. By the mid-nineteenth century shell cameos, in part due to their lightness compared with hardstone cameos, were the height of fashion. Large shell cameos as well as hardstone cameos were set into contemporary mounts, often as suites of jewellery. Some of the best cameos of the nineteenth century—carved by a select group of recognized carvers—were set into revivalist mounts, corresponding to the subject matter. In Victorian England cameo jewellery was particularly prized, due in part to the fact that the Queen owned and wore a number of cameo jewels. One example which can often be seen in official portraits is the Badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert, carved by Tommaso Saulini of Rome, who also produced cameos for the maker of the present suite, John Brogden. To meet demand some carvers set themselves up in London, including William Schmidt, a German carver from Idar Oberstein, who produced cameos for top London jewellers, including Brogden, Carlo Giuliano and Child & Child. In fact, Schmidt purports to have been the first to carve cameos out of opal, which Brogden reportedly displayed in the Paris Exhibition of 1878. An extant example, now in the collection of the British Museum, was set by the Giuliano firm. Regarding subject matter, cameos throughout time have been largely figural, from bust length profile portraits to scenes with multiple full-length figures, and sometimes animals. Ancient Greek and Roman cameos often depicted mythological scenes as well as contemporary figures. During the Renaissance, mythological scenes were popular, often taken directly from ancient sculpture, as well as portraits of notable contemporary figures. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, due to the revivalist styles, both Renaissance and Classical subjects were copied and set into matching (and sometimes unmatching) revivalist mounts. From the Renaissance through the Victorian era, being able to recognize the source of the carving in a cameo was a mark of erudition, revealing in the wearer knowledge of Classical art. As mentioned, the present cameo parure...

Emerald and diamond cocktail ring by J. E. Caldwell, American, circa 1940. A platinum ring diagonally set with one central marquise shaped old cut untreated Muzo emerald in a claw se...

Victorian diamond and enamel snake pendant. Set to centre with a cushion shape old mine diamond in an open back cut-down setting with an approximate weight of 2.20 carats, further se...

Maison Plisson et Hartz chimera brooch. A circular yellow gold brooch, composed of an intricately carved crouching chimera with teeth bared and wings unfurled, encircled by a swirl o...

Emerald and pyrite snake ring. Set with one round cabochon natural unenhanced emerald in an open back rubover setting with an approximate weight of 0.25 carats, further set with a py...

Conch pearl and diamond necklace. Set with an oval natural conch pearl, approximately 7.3 x 9.0 mm, suspended from five round old cut diamonds ...

Victorian diamond pendant/brooch. Centrally set with a cushion shape old mine diamond in an open back cut-down setting with an approximate we...

Vintage marquise diamond cluster ring. Set to centre with a marquise shape old cut diamond, F colour, VS2 clarity, with a weight of 2.39 ...

Oscar Heyman Brothers sapphire and diamond ballerina ring. Set to centre with an oval brilliant cut diamond in an open back claw setting with an approximate weight of 1.17 carats, en...

Ancient Roman earrings, 2nd century AD. A pair of yellow gold earrings, each with an inverted drop shaped ornament decorated a gold bead and scr...

Victorian natural pearl and enamel locket. Set to centre with a natural half pearl in a closed back grain setting, encircled by a single row of eight natural half pearls in closed ba...

Ancient Roman intaglio Victory ring. Set to centre with an oval cornelian intaglio in a closed back Roman set setting depicting the full length figure of ...

Van Cleef & Arpels diamond cocktail ring. Set centrally with twelve round brilliant cut diamonds in open back grain settings with a combined approximate weight of 0.60 carats, to an ...

Art Deco black opal and diamond ring. Set to centre with an oval cabochon natural black opal in an open back rubover setting with an approximate weight...

Art Deco diamond solitaire ring. Set with a central round old cut diamond, I colour, SI1 clarity, with an approximate weight of 4.17 carats in an open back claw setting, to an angula...