The Natural World was one of the popular themes during the Victorian Era – following the success of Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species” in 1859 the United Kingdom and it’s colonies, as well as much of the rest of the world, had a renewed interest in the world around them. This, of course, was reflected in the jewellery of the time.
Australian beaches offered some truly fascinatingly beautiful shells that were incorporated into jewellery – such as the iridescent mariner shell, which has been a favourite and important cultural item for the Australian Aboriginal people of Tasmania for time immemorial, the pearly neotrigonia clam shell found along the southern beaches of Australia, and the rare pink operculum of the Australian turban shells – such as this ring is made from.
‘Operculum’ loosely translates to “little lid”. It could be described as the door to a shell that keeps the mollusc who lives inside safe from predators. You might be familiar with the more common “cats eye” operculum that has an olive green colour found in Victorian and Edwardian Era jewellery. The pinky/mauve operculum in this ring belong to a distant cousin from more tropical waters. A rarely seen natural jewel.
This is a very sweet and rare example of early Australian jewellery, incorporating our own marine life. While I have come across pink operculum bracelets in my research in the past, this is the very first time I’ve seen a pink operculum ring. Collectors of Australian jewellery will be thrilled with this delightful piece of history, as will anyone who has enjoyed long walks on our beautiful beaches, and spent time poking about in tide pools.
Manufacture:
Hand made in 15ct rosy gold, the shell has been set into a custom made rub-over setting with a closed back, The gold is hallmarked 15ct to the inside of the band.
The shell is set in a custom rub-over bezel with a closed back. It measures 10.79mm x 8.1mm.
Sits 3.25mm high on the finger.
The 15ct wide gold band measures 7.16mm at the shell, tapering to 6.16mm wide at the back of the band.
Weighs 4.35 grams.
Size:
S.5 or 9.5 on the mandrel, but fits like R.5 or 9 due to the width of the band.
Condition:
In excellent antique condition, the shell is still lustrous with no chips or cracks.
A wide rosy 15ct gold ring, set with an Australian pink operculum shell.
The shell is set in a custom rub-over bezel with a closed back. It measures 10.79mm x 8.1mm.
Sits 3.25mm high on the finger.
Weighs 4.35 grams.
Size S.5 or 9.5 on the mandrel, but fits like R.5 or 9 due to the width of the band.
