Legacy : A Victorian 18ct Gold Ring with Georgian Diamond Components

It’s a fascinatingly strange face. A ring with a story that begins in the 18th Century, with a rebirth in the 19th Century. Here we are today in the 21st century looking at this blend of old world and old old old world and wondering why are you so weird? (in the nicest possible way).

Explaining the unusual appearance of this ring involves a short lesson is jewellery history.
The rose cut diamonds and their silver crimped collets date to the Georgian Era, sometime between 1750 – 1810. Silver was the metal of choice for setting diamonds at the time – as the only white metal available people felt it let the diamonds sparkle at their brightest. Each diamond has been tucked into a piecrust of silver, a flat sheet of metal that sits underneath the gem and has been folded up and over, then crimped around the stone, creating an early illusion type setting, fooling the eye into thinking it is a much larger gem. Little slips of foil were placed behind each diamond to enhance their sparkle. Over time the foil has tarnished and degraded, giving the diamonds a steely appearance.

Diamonds were jewels worn in the evening, they were cut to sparkle by candlelight. The colour and clarity of the gems was not of concern at the time as diamonds were incredibly rare – the fuss about colour and clarity did not occur until large diamond deposits were found in the 1860s. Sparkle was everything.

The silver set rose cut diamonds were once part of another, probably much larger jewel, made up of these little silver and diamond parcels all cleverly joined together. These three pillows were incorporated into a ring during the Victorian Era, circa 1880, by setting them into an 18ct yellow gold clawed setting, sometimes called a belcher or buttercup setting. A clever bit of repurposing that has stood the test of time.

A ring with three diamonds in a row is known as a “trilogy” ring, the stones are said to represent the past, present and future. These rose cut diamonds have been looking into the past and the future for over 270 years. I bet they could tell some tales.

Manufacture:
Handmade in 18ct yellow gold and silver.
The rose cut diamonds and their silver settings were made in the later half of the 1700s, the gold ring dates to 1880s. The ring is hallmarked to the inside of the band 18ct for 18ct gold.

The natural diamonds are crudely rose cut, as many diamonds from this period are. They are included, which is again appropriate for the time. They have been verified by an independent gemologist as natural diamonds.

The face of the ring measures 18.5mm x 7.8mm
Sits 4.67mm high on the finger.
Weighs 4.22 grams

Size: 
P 1/2 or 8
somewhat resizable. We do offer a resizing service starting at $45 Australian dollars. Please get in touch for a quote.

Condition: 
Despite her great age this ring is in very good condition, suitable for careful everyday wear.