Late renaissance memento mori skull ring. "Memento mori" jewelry translates to "remember thou must die", a reminder to all to live life fully, as death awaits. Memento mori rings were meant to encourage the practice of reflection on one's mortality. This is a very early ring with black enamel etching along the sides and back and a perfectly shaped skull in intaglio on the front. The ring is silver gilt with black enamel carving. Circa 1620. US size 8 1/2.

8K eighteenth-century portrait ring under crystal of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Miniature portraits were painted on vellum or ivory and given as tokens of love to husbands and wives or parents and children. Portrait rings with diamond bezels, such as ours, reflect the importance of the subject. The paintings would be commissioned to the leading miniature portrait artists of the day. Sarah Churchill had a close friendship with Queen Anne of England...

Exquisite Georgian verre églomisé, or gilded glass, portrait ring surrounded by seed pearls. Verre églomisé is a French term meaning gilded glass and is a decorative technique in which the back side of glass is gilded with gold leaf. The gilding may also be combined with reverse painting on glass as in this case. This ring has very large verre églomisé panel with a black silhouette of a peasant girl against a gilded background...

Our circa 1860 Victorian collar of graduated 18K yellow gold hand crafted solid gold beads strung on a gold chain. It is the perfect piece for layering with an antique chain or with another beaded chain as shown in our photos. (Other beaded chain seen in photo is in 9K and also available on 1st dibs under "9K Gold Victorian Beaded Collar w Barrel Clasp"). The collar has its original clasp and a safety chain...

Georgian 18K gold cannetille work ring set with a carved turquoise in the shape of a pair of clasped hands, a symbol of friendship. On either side there are set an opal and a garnet. This is truly an unusual and rare ring. It is a size 7 and measures a bit over 1/4" at its widest.

Utilizing the natural features of the blush and gray speckled agate with a lovely mottled appearance and demonstrating the fine carving that this circle of Italian carvers were known for, our ring is a sensitive portrayal of Sappho, an early poetess who came of age in the time of the Ancient Greeks in the Archaic period. The quality of the carving is reminiscent of the circle of carvers in Rome during the mid eighteenth century which included Anton Pichler and his sons Giovanni and Luigi...

Our muff chain is known as "pinchbeck" and has a wonderful hand clasp with a diminutive emerald paste ring on the hand and a charming carved ruffled sleeve at the end of the hand clasp. We love “jewelry wearing jewelry” and the hand clasp with its fingernails and green paste ring can only be described as quintessentially Georgian. The links of the chain are embossed with textural dots...

Antique marquise shaped 18K gold and chrysoberyl ring is an excellent example of Portuguese jewelry of the late 18th century. The Portuguese mined these gemstones from their colony in Brazil and created jewelry that was typically pave-set as seen here. The ring is size 10 and can be sized to fit.

Colorful depiction of a peasant girl graces this micromosaic brooch purchased during the Grand Tour and brought back to England to be set in an elaborate 18K bezel decorated with grapes and leaves. The glass tesserae are set in malachite.

Wonderful tactile slinky watch chain. To be a proper watch chain, the chain must be over 50" long, as they were originally made (shorter chains are simply cut up watch chains). Snake chains are a favorite link because of the slinky smooth texture and the way the link bounces back when adjusted...

Dramatic Georgian faceted paste single stone ring set in silver and backed in 18K. The ring is nicely engraved at the shoulders with an 18K band. The carved paste is set in silver, which was believed to be better suited to set off the cool tones of the "diamond" stone...

15K Victorian chain with a link design consisting of two "paperclips" joined together at a perfect 90 degree angle, leading to a lovely unusual lovers knot link where the lover's knot is wrapped in a braided pattern several times about a simple oval link (see close ups). Both the paper clip and the lover's knot links are Victorian motifs used to convey love and devotion. The chain is substantial at 36.3 grams. and at 51 inches can be worn doubled or tripled...

Dramatic 18K gold marquis shaped ring in royal blue and white enameling surrounded by pearls and centered with a pearl pansy. This distinctly English style of enameling on jewelry was invented in 1775 and became popular with royalty and is often seen on jewelry displaying royal crowns.

Substantial 4 coiled 18K Snake Ring with rubies and diamonds of increasing sizes along the head of the ring. The 4 bands wind around the ring terminating in a flourish of the snake's tail. An outstanding snake ring, from the carefully chosen rubies and diamonds which are graduated in size and placed in a carved "tail" which echoes the graduated size of the snake's head, to the substantial coverage the ring provides...

With a Latin inscription translated as "Under a clear sky France suffers", this 18K Carnelian fob seal depicts an African slave in profile, carved atop a family crest, all shown above a ribbon banner reading "PURUM PATIENTIA FRANCE". Notwithstanding the word "France" in the inscription, our wax seal fob is English. The seal harkens back to the British abolitionist movement in France, during which time the British people actively sought to pressure the French to abolish slavery...

These lovely 18K day-night floral gold cannetille earrings boast one of the finest examples of cannetille gold work we have ever seen. Popular in both England and France in the 1820's, cannetille was a type of filigree work named after the gold embroideries of the Napoleonic era. It lasted for a brief 2 decades, making it easy to date a piece of jewelry that is as fine an example of cannetille as these...

our early C1790 Georgian 18K seven stone diamond half hoop ring has seven table-cut diamonds (flat on top, faceted sides). The ring is closed back and the diamonds are foiled backed, exactly the way gemstone rings were made in the Georgian period. The diamonds are mounted in silver and set in gold, as the Georgians believed silver was better suited to set off the cool white tones of diamonds. This ring would make a lovely engagement ring or gift to oneself. The ring is a size 7.

This wonderful lava ring was sold in Naples to travelers on the Grand Tour as souvenir jewelry in the 1820’s to 40's after the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 18th century. Made by Pompeian stone cutters, each of the seven round heads of the ring is distinctly carved and is of a different hue as well as a different mythological figure and comes from a different organic material sourced from Vesuvius. The cameos represent the days of the week, The grey cameo represents ...

An essential chain for one's jewelry collection, this 18 inch long 9k Albert curb link chain has 2 dog clips attached for use as a clasp or to hang a pendant from. Each individual link and dog clip is individually stamped 9 and 375 (for 9K). "Albert" chains are a style of watch chain named after Prince Albert and were worn by both men and women in the 19th and early 20th century. This chain is particularly wonderful because of the two clips All the parts of the chain are original and intact an...

Our substantial 18K Victorian buckle ring is hallmarked London for the year 1894 has two star set cushion cut diamonds set securely flush with the band. The clean and simple design of the ring makes it wearable for hand washing and most daily activities. Buckle rings were popular in the Victorian era. As it was the Queen's order, Victoria wore the symbol of the garter in the form of a buckle bracelet or buckle ring on her arm, as she obviously could not show the garter on her leg. The garter sym...

Substantial 18K antique Victorian snake ring with clever open cutwork on the gold band as shown in the bottom layer, an interesting detail on this handsome snake ring. Snakes were a symbol of eternal love and friendship and were popularized by Queen Victoria during her reign in the 19th century. Set with 3 diamonds, each larger than the next, in a pointed carved etching at the top of the snake's head, our ring is hallmarked London and dates to 1895. The ring is a size 8 ½.

Georgian almandine garnet ring circa 1770, in an 18K gold basket setting flanked by two cushion cut diamonds. Almandine garnets are purply red and were flat cut as seen here. This lovely early ring is a size 6 1/4 and the stone measures 5/8" wide by 1/4" high

An essential for every wardrobe, our C1900 9K handcrafted Albert curb link chain has it all; a chain includes with 2 dog clips, an inch of extra chain with a ring attached (from which to hang a pendant) and a T Bar. Each link is stamped 395 9 (9 carat) and with the anchor symbol for the Birmingham. Each element of the chain (links, dog clips, and T Bar) is stamped 9 for 9 karat. The extra length of chain with the T Bar can be removed and the larger ring that attaches it can be used to hang a ...

Our Victorian long guard watch chain is composed of an unusual and attractive love knot link. Such chains were called "long guards", and shortened to "guard chains". Watch guard link chains were generally light in weight and always over 50 inches in length. They were designed to hold watches with a dog clips and were originally worn with the chain tucked into a woman's belt with the watch attached to the chain. A great deal of hand work was involved in their construction. This chain has a ...

Early Victorian or late Georgian half hoop 7 stone ring with 7 well matched turquoise stones set in cabochon, with the largest turquoise in the center and each stone graduated in size, as is typical of a hand carved Georgian ring. The borders of each stone are crimped, an attractive detail. The shoulders of the ring are chased in a lovely hand carved pattern. The back of the stones reveal lovely hand carved gold work. The ring can be sized up or down within reason.

Authentic Murphy family crest ring, complete with the motto and crest, all artfully carved in bloodstone (bloodstone is a dark green variety of chalcedony with red specks). The Lion Rampant stands in profile at the top holding a wheat sheath between his paws, the crest sits below and the banner with Latin motto Fortis et hospitales adorns the bottom of the ring face. The wheat is representative of abundance and the lion of strength and bravery. Irish crests always include a shield and a motto in...

Double box link original Victorian watch chain terminating in a dog clip stamped 9 carat, this unusual watch chain with its faceted box links attached to one another reveals on close inspection an additional twisted link around each box link, adding interest and glamour to a simple box link watch chain. The link has a slightly yellow gold cast. Note in the photos the detail of the faceted box links as well as the additional twisted link. The chain looks terrific when paired with others and a...

Delightful 18K hand over heart fede ring. - the word fede means faithful. The Victorians were fond of such romantic sentiments. The ring has a tiny diamond set on the ring finger of the gold hand, a lovely and surprising detail. The ring is a US size 8 1/4.

Lovely 18K five stone opal ring with five perfect blue-tinged translucent Australian opals set in an embellished gold setting. Eight tiny diamonds nest between the opals. The ring is hallmarked Sheffield and dates to 1870. This is the opal ring you have been looking for. It is a size 8 3/4.

We adore this c 1880 Shakudo ring featuring a We adore this c1880 Shakudo ring depicting a Japanese samurai warrior with two swords, dressed in traditional garb, writing his wishes on strips of paper that he will hang from bamboo branches, in Japanese tradition said to make wishes come true. Shakudo is an ancient Japanese art form which developed from the Samurai tradition of sword making. The metalwork used in the Shakudo technique consists of inlays of alloys of gold and copper on a dark cop...

This C1870 Victorian necklace features 9K hand crafted solid gold beads strung on a gold chain. It is the perfect piece for layering with an antique chain, or layering with another beaded chain as shown in our photos. (Other beaded chain seen in photo is also available on 1St dibs as a 18K gold bead necklace). The necklace is 16 inches long and weighs 24 grams.

Beautiful White and Yellow Gold Circle Drop Earrings C. 1900. We love these charming 15K diamond and yellow and white gold earrings. Old mine cut diamonds wrapped inside a gold cylinder dance inside a concentric gold circle and shimmer in the light. Two smaller mine cuts encased in a gold cylinder are at the top. Mille-graining, which is a minuscule bead that finishes an edge on gold or silver in jewelry, can be seen along bordering the gold cylinders, a nice detail. The earrings are 1 1/4 inche...

Though the hallmarks show it to be of the Victorian era, this memorial band was made in the Regency style of the earlier part of the century. It is hallmarked for Birmingham, 1863. The words IN MEMORY OF are carved to the outside of the band along with raised religious and mourning imagery including Maltese crosses and fallen leaves. The gold-work is heavily chased. This ring was probably made as an advance order but never inscribed. Possibly it sat in some goldsmith's vault for years, which c...

Substantial 9k double headed snake ring featuring pink sapphire laden tops, carved gold eyes and a modern looking chic open work gold band. The ring is hallmarked "Chester", the most innovative of all the English guilds, and dates precisely to 1911. The intertwined serpents represent 2 lovers woven together for eternity and symbolize fertility and rebirth. The pink sapphires are unusual in a snake ring and the cool pink tones are a wonderful contrast to the rose gold band. The ring is a size 9.5...

This amethyst ring is a striking example of gold-work decoration that became popular in the second decade of the 19th century. A type of filigree work known as "cannetile" and named for the gold embroideries of the Napoleonic years, cannetile work made the most of a small amount of gold and required highly skilled goldsmiths. The amethyst stone is particularly eye-catching. The combination of the cannetile work next to the amethyst makes this an extraordinary ring. The ring is a US size 6.

Wonderful brightly colored half hoop ring of the classic Victorian 5 stone design consisting of 3 emeralds and 2 amethysts.