Darling Buds of May : Victorian Emerald Flower Ring in 18k gold

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There was a pretty young Queen Victoria sitting on the Throne of England when this ring was made, spreading her youthful effervescence over the country. The spirit of the time was light, eager and full of hope and sentimentality. The people of the time followed the young Queen’s lead on fashion and jewellery, and she favoured whimsy, floral motifs and bright coloured stones.

Floral rings from this period are not too hard to find – but they usually feature stones such as pearls, diamonds, garnets or turquoise. Finding an emerald flower is most uncommon, and absolutely delightful. The style of the five petalled flower from this period is often used to resemble the pansy or the forget-me-not. Both flowers carried the same sentiment to “think of me” and was a favourite token given between close friends, siblings, cousins (yes, jewellery wasn’t just for romantic exchanges back then, but for familial love, too) and others with a strong attachment to each other.

Emerald is the birthstone for May, and also a symbol of youth and spring. It is the stone of life, beauty and enduring love. An evergreen little flower, a rare little survivor from a time long passed.

This ring dates to approximately 1837-1860, it is handmade with care and attention to detail in 18ct gold, and holds 6 natural emeralds in closed back cramp settings in the form of a flower. The floral theme of the ring continues in the beautifully worked golden shoulders which have a foliate design. The central, larger emerald is of a lighter hue than the 5 deep green emeralds surrounding.

The emeralds show signs of wear commensurate with the rings 150+ years of age. This ring was worn and loved and the evidence of that is in chips, scratches and wear to the facets on the hand cut gemstones. Without the aid of a loupe or macro lens you would likely not notice any of them.

The ring itself is sturdy, the band is thick. It is suitable for gentle, everyday wear. Antique rings of all sorts must be worn with care. To keep this ring looking its best and brightest please remove it before washing your hands or doing any form of labour (that includes the cleaning and the gardening!).

Description

5 old cut deep green emeralds, each roughly 1.5 mm in diameter, surround a lighter hued central emerald of approximately 2.5mm diameter. Each of the stones is set into a closed back cramp setting.

Modelled in 18ct yellow gold with a rich aged patina. The shoulders feature floral motifs and engraving. The ring has no hallmarks, which is not unusual for a ring of this era, and has been XRF tested to verify gold content.

Early Victorian “Romantic Period” circa 1837-1860.
The back of the band features a reeded design reminiscent of the Georgian Era.

Size Aus/UK L
USA size 5.75
not resizable

Additional information

Era

Early Victorian "Romantic Period"
circa 1837-1860

Materials

18ct yellow gold (verified by XRF test)
6 natural old cut emeralds

Ring Size

Size Aus/UK L
USA size 5.75

Resizable?

Not recommended

Dimensions

The face of the ring is approximately 8.1mm x 8.7mm
Weighs 1.6g