Early 1900s Jewelry

Vintage 14 Karat White Gold Cut Crystal and Diamond Pendant- This stunning custom-made pendant was upscaled from a Victorian stick pin - featuring one round brilliant cut diamond se...

An 18 Kt gold serpent set with a turquoise wraps around the top of this icy clear rock crystal prism creating a talisman you will treasure. The crystal is strikingly faceted into an ...

Fox Essex glass scent bottle designed by Tiffany & Co. An exceptional very rare piece, created during the Edwardian period at the Tiffany Studios, back in he 1905. This fabulous scent bottle has been carved from translucent rock quartz and mount with an oversized Essex glass reverse carved piece depicting the enameled three dimensional head of a fox. Both parts are mounted with hinged round frames crafted in solid yellow gold of 18 karats with high polished finish. Fitted with a push opening button, an invisible hinges and an interior gold screw lid. The head of the fox is magnificent, very well carved with realistic details and exceptionally painted. Weight: 137.50 Grams, (88.14 Dwt). Measurements: 34 mm by 40 mm by 80 mm (1.34 x 1.57 x 3.15 Inches). Hallmarks: Stamped with the maker's mark, the mark for the assay of the gold and signed, "TIFFANY & CO.". The gold parts has been independently tested using state of the art technology (Niton XL2 Analyzer) and verified as over 18k gold .770/.999 assay. Essex Glass Essex crystal pieces are formed from a rock crystal cabochon (polished domes of rock crystal with a flat base), an image or motif is then reverse carved into the flat base, and then painted, to give them impression of a three dimensional object or image encapsulated in the cabochon when viewed from above. Production of a reverse crystal intaglio begins with the mining and cutting of fine rock crystal from Brazil or Madagascar. A well-formed cabochon is the key to a beautifully made reverse intaglio and the tedious process of hand polishing it to perfection had to be completed before the design work could begin. A watercolor rendering of the image was painted on the underside of the cabochon and an oil and diamond dust mixture was used along with up to 250 scribing tools to carve the design into the interior of the crystal “…the deeper the carving the more pronounced trompe l’oeil effect.” Once the carving was established the painting process began with extremely fine brushes and paint working in reverse to create incredibly detailed images. This process of carving into the back of the cabochon is sometimes referred to as reverse intaglio, not be to mistaken with intaglio, which is designed to be viewed from the same side on which it is carved, unlike Essex crystal. Particularly when the image is of something which is itself small in reality, such as an insect, they can be very convincing when created by skilled craftsman. Thomas Cook was believed to be responsible for introducing them to Britain from the continent in the 1860s, and there were initially sold by Hancock’s in London. During the same period the artist William Essex, was a great favourite of Queen Victoria, and known for his enamel painting and miniatures. It would seem that the public put two and two together and came up with five, in that they believed these exquisite miniature painted jewels could only have been created by such a celebrated talent as Essex, and the name stuck despite him having nothing to do with their creation. Interestingly, William Bishop...

A rock crystal and diamond bow brooch by Ernst Paltscho, to the centre an old brilliant-cut diamond estimated to weigh 1 carat fine millegrain-set, surr...

A Victorian Essex Crystal spaniel dog stickpin 18 karat yellow gold. This charming pin features a domed crystal with an exquisite collie dog scene. The w...

A pool of light emanates from this charm of rock crystal securely wrapped in a cage of silver to be worn at the neck on a chain or added to a bracelet. Around 1900, the Chinese creat...

An Edwardian diamond and demantoid garnet-set pendant, to the centre an oval cabochon-cut rock crystal applied with diamond-set ribbon-like decoration...

Reverse carved crystal was a technique created by cutting pieces of rock quartz crystal into a convex form and then polishing it into a cabochon shape. An image is carved into the fl...