Nephrite Jade Ring, Baden & Foss, circa 1950s

About the Item

This late Deco / early Retro ring (circa 1940) was created by New York jewelry firm, Baden & Foss. Featuring a 16.24mm x 11.98 cabochon of a medium green tone, prong-set and flanked on both sides with a pair of tiny old single-cut diamonds, this 14K yellow gold ring is such a great example of jewelry from this era; almost as if the aerodynamic clean lines of the ring are straining at the leash to become the more flamboyant Retro lines that would come to be associated with Retro-era jewelry. This is not a flashy ring. It is a humble ring. The nephrite is a medium yellowish-green; the diamonds are small; there's not a ruby in sight. But at the same time, the ring has great dignity and style. It makes you want to open a cupcake bakery, but before everyone else already did. This is the ring you wear when you wear an apron printed with violets and you dust the flour off with your hand. I find it to have a melancholy beauty, so deeply reminiscent of chrome toasters, buttered toast and cars with mechanical horns. The lady who bought this ring new was probably a "career girl," possibly the first in her family to graduate from college. Why do I think this? How can I possibly know all of this from a ring? Well, I can't know. But I can guess. Jade wasn't as well-known when this ring was created as it is today and today, jade is still not all that well known. This is not a diamond or amethyst ring, it's an exotic jade ring; jade from the opium-drenched "orient" (as it was called). She had to be an independent thinker. Perhaps a bit of a rebel, too. Marked on the interior for metal fineness and the B&F logo, this nephrite and diamond ring is a size 5 ¼ and could be resized by your local jeweler.

Creator:

Baden & Foss

Ring Size:

5 US, Resizable

Metal:

14k Gold

Stone:

Diamond,Jade

Stone Cut:

Cabochon

Weight:

5.6 g