1780s Cluster Rings

Centering a rectangular cushion cut sapphire weighing approximately 2.00 carats Transparent with light blue color and foil backing that does not alter light blue color Surrounded b...

Centering a rectangular cushion cut sapphire weighing approximately 2.00 carats Transparent with light blue color and foil backing that does not alter light blue color Surrounded b...

Antique 18th Century Chrysolite Chrysoberyl Cocktail Ring in Silver Gilt and Rose Gold, Portugal, c. 1780. This rare Portuguese jewel is designed as a moval (mix of marquise/navette and oval) shape cluster ring pave-set throughout with old-cut yellowish-green chrysoberyl gemstones in close-back silver gilt, further embellished with a rose gold beaded border, to a rose gold closed undercarriage which leads to a tapering rose gold shank. This ring is a genuine and original Georgian piece and should not be confused for a later conversion. Finger size: 56 (EU), but can be sized up or down. Dimensions: 4.0 x 3.2 cm. Gross weight: 11.1g. These rings are the epitome of the late 18th century fashion amongst the Portuguese high society. Everything is phenomenal, from their elegance and design variety, excellence of execution and assembling, and even the cutting and setting of these Brazilian gemstones which seem to be elegantly assembled independently from the golden bead frame surrounding them. For similar Portuguese/Iberian Georgian chrysoberyl rings, see d'Orey, Leonor, "Five Centuries of Jewellery", permanent exhibition of the National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon, Zwemmer Publishers Limited, 1995, pages 78 and 89. For similar Portuguese/Iberian Georgian chrysoberyl rings, see Scarisbrick, Diana, “The S. J. Phillips Collection of Jewels of Portugal”, London, Sotheby’s, S.J.Phillips, 2017, pages 44 and 54. In the Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) antiques world, “crisólita” is a very popular gemstone. This late-18th century misnomer in Portugal and Brasil, also referred to as “oriental chrysolite”, corresponds to greenish-yellow chrysoberyl, a mineral that was named after its transparency and colour, from the Greek “chrysos” (meaning “gold”) and "berullos" (meaning “transparency”). This gemstone became very popular in Portuguese and Brazilian jewellery on the last third of the 1700s gaining even more importance in the early 1800s, following the discovery of significant quantities of fine gem quality material in Minas Gerais, Brazil, particularly in the Minas Novas...

18k Natural pearl and turquoise ring hallmarked "London, 1785". This lovely Georgian ring has a romantic forget-me-not pattern with three rows of p...