Sweetheart: Antique Turquoise and Diamond Sentimental Ring Circa 1840

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The most perfect, the best made, the most delightful turquoise ring I’ve ever had the pleasure to hold. Handmade with lashings of 18ct yellow gold and set with the plumpest turquoises and the sparkliest little diamonds, this lovely treasure just oozes perfection.

This ring is a piece of “sentimental” jewellery – given between family members, close friends or lovers as a token of affection. Behind the head of the ring is a glazed locket compartment. This would have once held a braid of the givers hair so that they might be remembered always. In the days before photography hair was commonly exchanged as a token of affection, a tangible way to keep a loved one nearby.

Turquoise is symbolic of the forget-me-not flower, another favourite of our sentimental Victorians. The giving of jewellery between siblings and friends was more widely practiced in the 1800s than it is today, this may have been a gift from brother to sister, from a bff or from a childhood sweetheart. We will have to imagine the story behind the giving of this ring and the lives it has lived since.

Manufacture:
Hand made in 18ct gold, the ring does not have a fineness mark (which is not unusual for rings of this age) but XRF tests as 18ct gold throughout. There is a tiny makers mark W.B. which unfortunately I have not been able to match with a jeweller.

At the centre is a very small old cut diamond set in a crimped collet. It is flanked by four delightfully plump turquoise cabochons in a cruciform pattern, each set in a crimped collet. Between each of the turquoises is a tiny rose cut diamond, again set in a crimped collet setting. The shoulders of the ring are carved with glorious scrolls and flourishes, and set with a smaller turquoise cabochon. The band is the classic half-round shape.

The face of the ring measures 9.95mm wide. It sits 5.2mm high on the finger.
Weighs 3.2 grams

Size O or 7.25
Somewhat resizable by your local bench jeweller.

Condition:
In truly lovely antique condition. Some of the turquoise cabochons do show some slight discolouration, as is frequently the case with antique turquoise as it is a porous gemstone. The ring has been resized long, long ago. The resizing marks could be easily polished out, but I did not wish to disturb the ring’s aged patina by doing so. Ready for immediate wear.

Description

Hand made in 18ct gold, the ring does not have a fineness mark (which is not unusual for rings of this age) but XRF tests as 18ct gold throughout. There is a tiny makers mark W.B. which unfortunately I have not been able to match with a jeweller.

At the centre is a very small old cut diamond set in a crimped collet. It is flanked by four delightfully plump turquoise cabochons in a cruciform pattern, each set in a crimped collet. Between each of the turquoises is a tiny rose cut diamond, again set in a crimped collet setting. The shoulders of the ring are carved with glorious scrolls and flourishes, and set with a smaller turquoise cabochon. The band is the classic half-round shape.

The face of the ring measures 9.95mm wide. It sits 5.2mm high on the finger.
Weighs 3.2 grams

Size O or 7.25
Somewhat resizable by your local bench jeweller.