Vintage Tiffany & Co. 14 Karat Yellow Gold and Onyx Signet Ring, 1938
View Similar Items
Vintage Tiffany & Co. 14 Karat Yellow Gold and Onyx Signet Ring, 1938
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Stone:
- Stone Cut:
- Weight:10.7 g
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1930's
- Condition:Additions or alterations made to the original: This ring has been professionally sized. Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1887210393592
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is one of the most prominent purveyors of luxury goods in the United States, and has long been an important arbiter of style in the design of diamond engagement rings. A young Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed to his future wife, Eleanor, with a Tiffany ring in 1904. Vanderbilts, Whitneys, Astors and members of the Russian imperial family all wore Tiffany & Co. jewels. And Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis preferred Tiffany china for state dinners at the White House.
Although synonymous with luxury today, the firm started out rather modestly. Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young founded it in Connecticut as a “stationery and fancy goods emporium” in 1837, at a time when European imports still dominated the nascent American luxury market. In 1853, Charles Tiffany — who in 1845 had launched the company’s famed catalog, the Blue Book, and with it, the firm’s signature robin’s-egg blue, which he chose for the cover — shifted the focus to fine jewelry. In 1868, Tiffany & Co. gained international recognition when it became the first U.S. firm to win an award for excellence in silverware at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. From then on, it belonged to the pantheon of American luxury brands.
At the start of the Gilded Age, in 1870, Tiffany & Co. opened its flagship store, described as a "palace of jewels" by the New York Times, at 15 Union Square West in Manhattan. Throughout this period, its designs for silver tableware, ceremonial silver, flatware and jewelry were highly sought-after indicators of status and taste. They also won the firm numerous accolades, including the grand prize for silverware at the Paris Exposition of 1878. Among the firm’s glittering creations from this time are masterworks of Art Nouveau jewelry, such as this delicate aquamarine necklace and this lavish plique-à-jour peridot and gold necklace, both circa 1900.
When Charles Lewis Tiffany died, in 1902, his son Louis Comfort Tiffany became the firm’s design director. Under his leadership, the Tiffany silver studio was a de facto design school for apprentice silversmiths, who worked alongside head artisan Edward C. Moore. The firm produced distinctive objects inspired by Japanese art and design, North American plants and flowers, and Native American patterns and crafts, adding aesthetic diversity to Tiffany & Co.’s distinguished repertoire.
Tiffany is also closely associated with diamonds, even lending its name to one particularly rare and exceptional yellow stone. The firm bought the Tiffany diamond in its raw state from the Kimberley mines of South Africa in 1878. Cut to create a 128.54-carat gem with an unprecedented 82 facets, it is one of the most spectacular examples of a yellow diamond in the world. In a broader sense, Tiffany & Co. helped put diamonds on the map in 1886 by introducing the American marketplace to the solitaire diamond design, which is still among the most popular engagement-ring styles. The trademark Tiffany® Setting raises the stone above the band on six prongs, allowing its facets to catch the light. A lovely recent example is this circa-2000 platinum engagement ring. Displaying a different design and aesthetic (but equally chic) is this exquisite diamond and ruby ring from the 1930s.
- Tiffany & Co. Antique 14K Yellow Gold Carnelian Intaglio Crest Signet RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYFine antique Tiffany & Co. 14K gold signet ring with a beautifully engraved carnelian intaglio crest depicting a lion above a shield with two sta...Category
Early 20th Century American Georgian Signet Rings
MaterialsCarnelian, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Armorial Crest Georgian Style Vintage 14K Yellow Gold Onyx Intaglio Signet RingLocated in New York, NYFine Georgian style onyx intaglio ring engraved with an armorial heraldic device of a shield shaped crest topped with medieval style knight's helmet surrounded by scrolls and a centr...Category
20th Century American Georgian Signet Rings
MaterialsOnyx, Yellow Gold
- Antique Tiffany & Co. George Washington Crest Intaglio 14k Gold Signet RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in New York, NYExilus Acta Probat, George Washington Family Coat of Arms intaglio Tiffany & Co. 14K gold signet ring. The Crest is composed of a raven with wings elevated and addorsed proper atop a coronet, Blazon- Argent two bars Gules, in chief three mullets of the second, Motto- Exitus acta probat (The outcome is the test of the act) References: Bolton's American Armory. Boston: F. W. Faxon Co, 1927 The motto is a reference to Ovid's Heroides II, with the translation from Latin: the outcome justifies the deeds. Another translation is- Judge me by the results of my actions. "In a letter dated 7 December 1791, George Washington received the confirmation from Sir Isaac Heard, Garter Principal King of Arms of the College of Arms...Category
Antique Late 19th Century Georgian Signet Rings
Materials14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Estate Naturalistic 14 Karat Yellow Gold Statement Signet RingLocated in New York, NYEstate signet style 14K yellow gold ring designed in the naturalistic gold nugget form. 20th Century Substantial, solid gold unisex statement ring Condi...Category
20th Century American Modernist Signet Rings
MaterialsYellow Gold, 14k Gold
- Large 19th Century Georgian 14K Yellow Gold Onyx Intaglio Medusa Signet RingLocated in New York, NYImpressive Georgian period 14K yellow gold onyx intaglio signet ring depicting Medusa. Early 19th Century The story of Medusa is one of the best known in Greek mythology. It is most ...Category
Antique 19th Century English Georgian Signet Rings
MaterialsOnyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Estate Tri-Color Rose, White and Yellow 14K Gold Tiered Signet RingLocated in New York, NYStreamlined textured finish front panel, finely polished on the sides and back, this unusual ring is composed of four tiers of yellow, white, rose and yellow 14K gold which are fused...Category
20th Century Modernist Signet Rings
Materials14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
- Vintage 1950s Black Onyx and Yellow Gold Signet RingLocated in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon TyneA fine and impressive vintage black onyx and 14 karat yellow gold Army Air Corps signet ring with a 14 karat white gold applied decoration; part of our ...Category
Vintage 1950s British Signet Rings
MaterialsOnyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 14 Karat Yellow Gold Signet RingLocated in Mount Kisco, NYGet creative with the blank "canvas" of this 14k yellow gold retro signet ring. Unmarked and ready for personalization, its smooth face can be monogramed and engraved with your initi...Category
Vintage 1980s American Signet Rings
Materials14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Tiffany & Co. 1970's 14 Karat Yellow Gold TED Unisex Vintage Signet RingBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Philadelphia, PACentering an oval-shaped face engraved with stylized text Depicting the name 'TED' with grooved surround With rounded shoulders and high polish finish Tested as 14 karat gold Fully ...Category
Vintage 1970s Signet Rings
MaterialsGold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 14 Karat Yellow Gold Vintage Black Onyx Signet RingLocated in Scottsdale, AZDesigner: custom design Material: 14k yellow gold Ring Size: 10.25 (please allow two additional shipping days for sizing requests) Dimensions: ring top measures 20.7mm wide Weight: ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
MaterialsOnyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 14 Karat Yellow Gold Black Onyx Signet Style RingLocated in Scottsdale, AZDesigner: custom design Material: 14k yellow gold Ring Size: 8 (please allow two additional shipping days for sizing requests) Dimensions: ring top measures 21 X 22mm Weight: 19.30 ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Signet Rings
MaterialsOnyx, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 14 Karat Yellow Gold Women's Elephant 2 Tusks Signet RingBy Thomas KurillaLocated in New York, NY14 Karat Yellow Gold Elephant 2 Tusks Signet Ring, This listing is a custom size 8 with a 22 mm diameter. not the usual 19mm for this womens ring. Now there can really be an eleph...Category
2010s American Contemporary Signet Rings
Materials14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
15 Scintillating Jewelry Watches to Elevate Your Holiday Style
Watchmakers have tucked their movements into all manner of precious baubles, from lapel pins to cocktail rings. The result is dazzling, wearable art that will get you to the party on time.