Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Gold: Victorian (254)

A stunning Victorian brooch in the form of a comet or shooting star overlaying a traditional crescent moon. The imposing size and the combination of motifs makes this easily the very best celestial jewel we’ve handled. The pin is set entirely with rose cut diamonds in silver over gold. The largest diamond faces up with an appearance of about .55 carat. Overall, the diamonds have the appearance of roughly 4.5 carats. The stones in the crescent are set in closed backs while those in the shooting star or comet are set a jour. The brooch could easily be converted to a pendant by removing the pin stem and adding a bail. The back is stamped with French 18K gold and silver hallmarks.

• Probably English (French import marks), ca 1840
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 1-11/16”
• Weight: 13.6 g

A wonderful Victorian 14k gold pendant featuring a large oval citrine in a setting of two entwined snakes, each grasping the other’s tail. In Victorian symbology, this motif was often used to represent the eternity of love. The snakes are finely textured in a stippled pattern. The citrine has good, even coloring and perfect clarity. The pendant is suspended from a fine gold chain with four faceted citrine stations. Though the pendant, likely converted from a brooch, is Victorian and the chain is more recent, they look very good together. The chain is marked “14K” and the pendant tests 14K.

• Pendant, ca 1860
• Pendant, 1-5/16” x 13/16”
• Chain Length: 15-5/16”
• Approximate Total Carat Weight: pendant citrine, 18.97 cts; chain citrines, 7.28 cts total
• Weight: 10.9 g

A very fine early “collier Bayadère” or bayadere necklace comprising four strands of seed pearls suspending a blue star sapphire and a seed pearl tassel set in 14K gold bell-form cap set with old mine cut diamonds. These are also sometimes called “sautoirs.” The sapphire has a violet tint to the blue and displays good asterism (star effect). The necklace is finished with a late 18th or early 19th century enameled clasp worked in 18K gold. Bayadères made with two tassels and no clasp were meant to be tied together with a simple knot, while others such as this example, suspending a single tassel, were made with a traditional clasp. The term “bayadère” referred to Indian maidens (“devadasi”) who performed complex ritual dances in Indian temples. Bayadère necklaces became very fashionable in the 1920s as Europeans grew more intrigued with Indian culture. This earlier example, probably dating to the last quarter of the 19th century, features a single tassel.

• Origin: France, ca. 1875
• Condition: excellent; minor enamel loss to clasp visible upon close inspection
• Necklace Length: 24”
• Tassel Length: 3-1/2”
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: star sapphire, 5.9 ct; diamond, .20 ct

A very nice two-sided 18K gold and beveled crystal photo locket, the gold rim ornately pierced in a foliate pattern. The rims of these sorts of lockets are usually worked in a simple reeded pattern, but this example is much more complex. The bail is also a screw that allows the frame to be removed to change the locket’s contents. The locket retains its original two photos and a small piece of woven hair. The bail is stamped with French 18K gold marks and an unidentified maker’s mark.

• Origin: France, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent, no chips or cracks
• Diameter: 1-1/16” (27mm)
• Weight: 6.7 g

An amazing 18K gold and enamel locket made in celebration of Switzerland’s sexcentennial (600th anniversary) celebration in 1891. Made as either a commissioned jewel for the wife of a government dignitary or as a “Grand Tour” souvenir, this locket is likely a unique piece. The front cover is worked in Swiss enamels depicting eleven of the Swiss cantons surrounded a center reserve featuring the coat of arms of the Swiss Confederation. The reverse is decorated with the coats of arms of the remaining eleven cantons that existed at the time of the celebration surrounded a bouquet of forget-me-nots. The flower is often used to symbolize the message “think of me” in Victorian jewelry, but in this case, also as a reminder that they grow abundantly in Switzerland’s alpine meadows. The locket’s edges are finished in a black enamel trail of ivy leaves and vines. Exposed gold surfaces are finished with a stippled texture. The locket’s interior retains the original frames, glass covers and Kelly green silk lining. The ornately pierced jump ring is also original. Tested and guaranteed 18K.

• Origin: Switzerland (likely Geneva), ca 1891
• Condition: excellent, no enamel damage or dings
• Dimensions: 1-5/16” x 2-5/16” (including jump ring)
• Weight: 32.2 g

A very unusual Art Nouveau 14K gold brooch in the form of a puffed heart clasped by a winged dragon. The heart is enhanced with repousse floral decoration and is centered with a seed pearl. The griffin clasps a second seed pearl in its jaws. Griffins were often used in jewelry to represent the concept of “protection.” When paired with a heart, the meaning could be conceived as “protecting love.” The back retains the original watch hook, and the clasp appears to be a replacement. The pin could easily be converted for wear as a pendant with the addition of a loop at the tip of each wing. Tested and guaranteed 14K.

• Origin: America, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-7/16” x 13/16”
• Weight: 3.3 g

An elegant French 18K yellow gold chain featuring a row of palmettes that create a fringe around the neck when worn. Each is intricately pierced and enhanced with beaded decoration. The palmettes are finished at either of the chain with a row of matching oval links. The chain is stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks used until 1919.

• Origin: France, ca. 1900
• Dimensions: 16” long; 1/2” wide
• Weight: 11.3 g

An extraordinary Victorian 18K gold hinged bangle bracelet belonging to the eldest daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire, Lady Maud Louisa Emma Cavendish, likely custom-made around between 1912-14 to celebrate her debut in society. Lady Maud married in 1917, so the bracelet is definitely prior to that event. The bracelet is entirely worked in a continuous panel of hand sawn foliage, flowers, grapes, and spiky seed pods. The front of the bracelet features the Cavendish coat of arms with three stags’ heads caboshed surmounted by a knight’s helmet barred. The back of the bracelet featured an “M" monogram so intricately worked into the design that it is difficult to see at first. The bracelet is heavy but retains an overall feeling of delicacy and lightness due to the extensive openwork of the design. The tongue of the clasp bears the hallmark of Henri Vever, arguably one of the two or three most important French jewelers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The hallmark was registered in 1912, not long after the publication of Vever’s authoritative book on the history of French jewelry, La Bijouterie Francaise au XIXe Siècle. By 1912, Vever was well into his Art Nouveau period, but in many circles, certainly those in which the Duke’s family traveled, the Art Nouveau style was considered perhaps a little too risqué for an unmarried young lady. The bracelet is presented in its original velvet- and silk-liked fitted case.

• Origin: France, 1912-1917
• Condition: excellent, sharp detail throughout
• Dimensions: 7/8” wide; 6-3/4” circumference
• Weight: 56.5 g.

A pretty pair of French foxtail tassel earrings worked in yellow and rose 18K gold. The surmounts and the tops of the tassels are decorated with colored gold floral rosettes and each foxtail chain terminates in a small ball. The earrings dangle freely with attractive movement when being worn. Each is stamped with French 18K gold hallmarks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1880
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 2-1/16” long from top of earwire
• Weight: 9.7 g.

A beautifully worked 14K gold chain, each link fashioned as a three-point ivy leaf. The links are attached to one another with curling vine tendrils. In Victorian floriography (the language of flowers), ivy leaves variously conveyed the sentiments of friendship, affection, fidelity or wedded love. Generally, friendship and affection seem to have been the most common sentiments. The clasp is marked “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 15-3/8” long; 7/8” wide
• Weight: 27.0 grams

An elegant Victorian 18K gold curb link bracelet enhanced at the center with a diamond rosette. The rosette features a prong-set old European diamond of .30 carat surrounded by ten mine cut diamonds in petal shaped settings. The center diamond is graded as I color, VS2 clarity. The curb links are finished with a ribbed texture that gives them a soft shimmer. The tongue of the box clasp is marked “18Ct.”

• Origin: England, ca 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: rosette diameter, 7/16” circumference, 6-1/8”
• Weight: 7.3 grams
• Approximate Total Diamond Weight: .40 carat

A nice late Victorian 14k rose gold single Albert watch chain comprising shortened trombone links alternating with circular links, leading to a simple t-bar. A short length of chain suspends a spring-ring clasp to hang a fob. The inside of the dog clip is stamped 14K and the chain tests 14K.

• Origin: America, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent; minor wear to the spring-ring clasp
• Dimensions: 11-1/4” (dog clip to t-bar); 1-3/8” suspension bail to spring-ring)
• Weight: 24.6 grams

A nice Victorian 14K gold by-pass bangle bracelet, the top adorned with a spray of wheat set with turquoise cabochons and tiny seed pearls. In the Victorian era, sprays of wheat were intended to represent “posperity.” At a time when a woman’s fortunes depended entirely upon those of her husband, a bracelet such as this may have been gifted for the wedding as a hope for the bride’s future prosperity. The bangle is hinged, so it is easy to put on and remove. Tested and guaranteed 14K gold.

• Origin: America, ca. 1880
• Condition: excellent, a couple of pinpoint dings on the side right next to the push-clasp
• Dimensions:1/2” wide; 6-1/8” circumference
• Weight: 17.2 grams

A nicely detailed 14K gold anchor pendant. In Victorian jewelry, the anchor was meant to convey a sense of hope, security and steadfastness. This classic example is enhanced with a detailed spiral or rope and sharp prongs. The piece is large enough to wear as a pendant or could be used as a charm on a chunky bracelet. Stamped “14K.”

• Origin: America, ca 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 11/16” x 1-1/8 (excluding jump ring)
• Weight: 1.9 grams

A very heavy late Victorian 14K rose gold watch chain completed with a matching t-bar. The curb link chain is completed with a t-bar, a dog clip, and a 1-1/2” length of chain to suspend a fob. The chain is stamped repeatedly with the Imperial Russian mark for 56 zolotnik gold (a tad purer than 14K) used 1898-1908.

• Origin: Russia, 1898-1908
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 12-3/8” long (dog clip to t-bar); 1-1/2” long (suspension bail to fob bail)
• Weight: 50.2 grams

A classic late Victorian gold padlock clasp. These were used mostly for bracelets but could also be used with necklaces. Today, they are often worn as charms or in their original function. In Victorian jewelry symbolism, padlocks represented the unbreakable bonds of love. The padlock with stamped with the English 9ct mark, but the jump tests as 14K gold.

• Origin: England, ca. 1900
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 9/16” x 13/16” (1-1/16” with jump ring)
• Weight: 2.0 grams

An elegant Belle Epoque bracelet comprising links in the Louis XVI style, set alternately with round emeralds and rose cut diamonds. The gemstones are set in crimped collets that mimic the center of each flower. Each link is hinged in a way that allows the bracelet to drape nicely on the wrist. The clasp is stamped with French 18K hallmarks and a illegible master goldsmith’s mark.

• Origin: France, ca. 1890
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 7-1/2” long: 15/32” wide
• Weight: 17.4 grams
• Approximate Total Gemstone Weight: diamond, .10 carat; emerald, .06 carat

An elegant Victorian 18K gold pendant featuring an onyx plaque centered with a seed pearl. The gold setting is ornately worked in a rope twist motif and with bright-cut engraving. Three tiny seed pearls complete the design. The pendant is stamped with French 18K gold marks.

• Origin: France, ca. 1870
• Condition: excellent
• Dimensions: 1-7/32” x 5/8”
• Weight: 3.0 grams