Antique Victorian 18K Rose Gold, Hardstone (Onyx) Cameo Signet Ring, c1870’s.

Although Mourning Jewelry has a long & fascinating history, going back to as far as Middle Ages, its popularity reached its peak during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901). ...

This extraordinary piece of Australian Colonial history was created by renowned gold rush jeweller William Lamborn, Melbourne-based & who was amongst the finest of jewellers at that...

Meticulously crafted in 18K yellow gold this magnificent Pair of Drop / Pendant Earrings date from mid-Victorian era & is a fine & rare example of Antique Etruscan Revival jewelry...

Meticulously crafted in 9K Yellow Gold this Vintage/Retro Ring survived in remarkably good condition featuring a Shell Cameo, depicting a profile of a young lady, wearing a neckl...

Vintage from the 1900s Size: 7 US Materials: Gold Gemstone: Coral Gem color: White Band color: Gold Style: Victorian Precious petite Shell cameo ring. Set in European 10k (unmarke...

Antique Cameo Ring 18ct Gold Stamped Circa 1880 Lovely, Victorian hardstone cameo ring. Features an oval framed portrait of a person with a be...

We really love hard stone cameo rings and this is perhaps the nicest we have had to date. The ring mount is crafted from 18 karat yellow and rose gold and has been rub over set with ...

A very unusual antique gold ring set with a carved brown and white hardstone cameo depicting the theatrical comic mask of Silenus, the Greek mythological old rustic god of wine-making and drunkenness. The ring was made in the late 19th century and carries French control marks for 18K gold, whilst the cameo is probably Italian and made slightly earlier, circa 1800. Silenus was a companion to the wine god Dionysus, and suitably he was a notorious consumer of wine, usually drunk and supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey. Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said to possess special knowledge and the power of prophecy when intoxicated. He presides over the other satyrs and is related to musical creativity, prophetic ecstasy, drunken joy and drunken dances. Silenus was usually depicted as a jovial old man, bald yet bearded, with a pot-belly, thick lips and snub-nose. The masks worn to play him in theatre really emphasised these features, as you can see with this cameo carving Theatre was a key part of ancient Greek culture. The theatrical masks worn by the actors, known as ‘prosopon’, served various purposes. They enabled individual actors to play multiple roles (or genders) in the same performance; the exaggerated expressions helped define the character being portrayed; they helped spectators in the back rows to tell the characters apart. This particular masked as mentioned before is a comedic Silenus, please see final photo for other examples of Silenus masks in museum collections. UK size N 1/2, US size 7 4.84g 18K gold French ‘tête...