This brooch is so beautiful I’m tempted to just leave it here, with no explanation, nothing. Just look at it.
No, don’t worry, I won’t do that. English, circa 1900, this brooch is five inches long, and is an absolute masterpiece of delicacy. Rubies, sapphires, and diamonds are set into a base of silver and gold feathers, while subtle enameling highlights the edges of the wings, as well as the leaves of the branch that the bird is using as a support. Enamel also highlights the bird's face, and he appears to be dangling a wreath of diamond-set flowers from his beak.
It’s pieces like this that make me love jewelry. The use of both silver and gold to create a variegated base palette for the feathers shows the thought that went into the design, and the back is just as stunning as the front.
Remember the “Dearest” ring? This 18k gold Georgian brooch is also gem-coded. The six stones hanging beneath the key, when listed by their first letters, spell out “regard.” The dealer doesn’t identify the stones individually, but the stones used in “Regard” pieces were usually Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, and Diamond. The sentimental coding, combined with the key theme, make this a particularly lovely and unusual piece. Circa 1780.
This is a Swiss calendar ring, circa 1820. Using different colors of enamel, the designer divided the gold band into four sections that indicate the months of the year. There’s an additional section that lists the days of the week alongside a column of dates. The dates can be adjusted via a sliding mechanism, which is controlled by the small gold ball you see at the top edge of the ring. Those clever Swiss!
Circa 1830, this extraordinary bracelet pairs an ornate gold buckle with a meticulously braided hairwork band. The two oval miniatures set into the buckle depict William and Mary of England.
Quite the lookers, weren’t they?
This hairpin is by Gripoix, and it isn’t that old — it dates to around 1980. It’s a costume piece, made of resin, colored glass and “strass,” or paste diamonds.
Gripoix is an interesting company; it was formed in 1869 by Frenchman Augustine Gripoix, and it's teamed up with some of the biggest names in couture ever since. The company is probably best known for their collaboration with Chanel, but they have also worked with Worth, Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, and multiple other fashion houses. Gripoix is particularly renowned for using a precise technique of casting glass called pâte de verre, or “poured glass,” and the company continues to produce new jewelry today.
This necklace highlights a beautiful cushion-cut aquamarine set in platinum and surrounded by diamonds and pearls.
The length of the pearl chain is 15", so the central portion of the chain (featuring another aquamarine surrounded by diamonds) would rest at the base of the throat, leaving the pendant to hang below. The clasp also includes another sizable aquamarine.
Look, this little 18k gold fiddler crab with emerald eyes wants to give you a pearl!
This is a contemporary ring, designed by married couple Manya Tessler and Roumen Vragov. The pair create jewelry that is “wearable sculpture,” and have won many awards for their work, which is often animal-themed. This little guy is just too cute not to share with you!
Oh, hello, my initials! I guess somebody’s just going to have to buy this for me, right?
This 17th century heart-shaped Stuart crystal pendant is double-sided. Each side combines woven hairwork with a skull-and-crossbones motif to commemorate the death of a loved one. On the one side, the initials MM are depicted in gold cipher lettering with “February the 29 1699” spelled out in full around the border. The reverse features mirrored cipher initials of JB, surrounded by “April the 04 1691.” The setting itself is high-carat gold, and is intricately detailed on both sides.
This gorgeous Renaissance Revival pendant dates to circa 1860. It’s in the “Holbeinesque” style, which combines stylized enamel designs with a central stone.
The stone is a cabochon-cut prasiolite (green quartz), surrounded by white, green, and red enameling on 18k gold. Three drops hang from the central piece, each one combining white and green enameling with a prasiolite drop.
Circa 1880, this Victorian silver-over-gold bracelet features an intricate floral motif incorporating 150 rose-cut diamonds and six large sapphires of graduating sizes (the smallest being 1.25 cts). One hundred and eight sapphires form the border.
The bracelet is hinged so that both sides open out, and it also has a carved clasp. Beautiful.
More coded jewelry! Circa 1900, this French 18k pendant states "A toi ma pensée" (I think of you) – but the “penseé” has been replaced with a pansy, awwww. The flower features petals of rose-cut diamonds, sapphires, and a ruby, and the stem and leaf are green enamel. So sweet!
Originating in Lucknow, India, in the 19th century, these earrings combine diamonds, yellow sapphire, and rubies with gold to form a peacock shape. Each has a fringe of emerald and Basra pearl (natural pearls from Basra, Iraq) drops. Lucknow, which is sometimes referred to as the “Constantinople of India,” is one of the country’s oldest cities, and was the cultural and artistic capital of Northern India during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Previously: The Birds and the Beetles.
Monica McLaughlin wants to design a ring that spells out "bacon."
Is there an alien coming soon who can bring all this lovely jewelry to my home? Please?
OMG! The bird brooch! The calendar bracelet! WHYYY don't I have millions of dollars to buy all these things?
The double pin on the back of that bird brooch is fantastic. And I think that silver-over-gold and sapphire bracelet would look very nice on me.
Any idea what the skull over Mary's shoulder indicates?
@laurel Usually skulls are a symbol of death and/or mortality (as in memento mori jewelry), but it's interesting that William doesn't have one, since he was long dead by this point, too.
Another interesting thought is that depictions of Mary Magdalene often included skulls, so maybe this is a reference to the name "Mary" as well. But that's just the musings of a former art history major; I doubt it has anything to do with it, but it's fun to think about. Symbolism, we has it!
@monicamcl Oh, that is very interesting -- thanks for that! And I want that bracelet.
My grandmother would say "Jewelry should not be more interesting than the wearer."
@Myrtle Fortunately, I am wildly original.
Where are my peacock earrings from Lucknow? (Am reading Kipling's Kim at the mo, so very apropos.)
And also my bracelet? And my bird brooch?
I am pretty sure I am interesting enough for all those things, though maybe not to be worn at once.
@AnthroK8 I think people would think you were pretty interesting if you wore all of them at once.
I can't get over how cute that "a toi ma pensee" pendant is.
Ughhhh, Aquamarine, stop being so beautiful. I don't mean it! I love you!
CRAB RING I CAN HAS NOW PLEASE?
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher Did you click though? There's a chameleon ring with gemstones down its spine.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher YES. Darling Crabby, will you be mine? ::holds out teeny waterflower in claw::
@laurel Did you see the goldfish ring?! Me wantee.
@laurel YEEP the little wee mouse! I must has them!
Hairwork???? Whaaaaat!
@DenimGlow Is that actual hair? Like person hair?
@area@twitter Yup. Actual person hair!
@monicamcl That's beautiful in a mildly creepy way.
@monicamcl That definitely should not have been glossed over so quickly. In the locket, fine, it's probably the deadie's hair worn as a (creepy) memorial. But the bracelet? Would it have been the original owner's hair? That seems to make it slightly less gross but not any more explicable.
@gobblegirl Sorry, yeah I should have gone into that more; I'm so used to it that I forget. Hairwork was HUGE in the 19th century; it was a genteel hobby for ladies, believe it or not... The hair they used could be their own or that of a sibling/friend, but it could also be bought. Since this bracelet is memorializing people from much earlier, the hair in the band is possibly that of the owner - or who knows, maybe the piece was bought or commissioned from a jeweler and it's just random hair? As for the pendant, since it's a memorial piece, the hair may have actually belonged to "MM" and/or "JB." We can never really know about this stuff for sure, unless there's some sort of provenance that stayed with the piece through the years. If you want to read more about hairwork, there's a great article here: http://www.victorianamagazine.com/jewelry/hairjewelry.htm
I definitely hear you, though... I can appreciate the craftsmanship, but when I see these pieces in person they always ooog me out.
that crab ring is the epitome of cuteness. he looks so earnest.
Okay this is seriously the year I am going to get my ears re-pierced after having them done when I was 10, then never properly healing so that each time I put in new earrings it caused allergic reactions (at least I'm hoping that it's because they never properly healed, and not that I'm actually allergic), then the holes disappearing from lack of use ...
then I will buy all the earrings featured in estate jewelry. I can do that right?
@redheadedandcrazy About the earring re-piercing: go to a tattoo/piercing shop to get them done! I had issues with my piercings for years because I got the first two sets of piercings done at the mall with a piercing gun. (shudder) There's a whole pile of issues with them that I won't get into here, but the gist of it is--go to a person with a needle who actually knows what they're doing! It makes a huge difference.
Also, I'm uber allergic to nickel, so I have to be careful what I put in my ears. Might be an issue with you as well? Nickel's super common in lower-quality jewelry (aka my price range), so you have to watch out for it.
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher so as somebody with a moderate to severe needle phobia, I a) thank you for this information yet also b) severely regret googling why piercing guns are bad for you because ARGH YUCK AGH WHYYYYYYYY.
@redheadedandcrazy Me too! Two super traumatic oozy mall piercings made me think that I could never have pierced ears. But then when I was 18 I went to an actual piercing shop to get the inside of my ear cartilage pierced (I had a vision of a sort of pirate-y ring all the way around my ear which thankfully never materialized) and I never had any problems.
@roadtrips this is definitely useful information.
what's interesting learning this, is that I had my ears pierced at different times because after the first ear was done I totally wimped out and had to be dragged kicking and screaming back to the place by my parents at a later date (so cool). And now, one of my ears has healed over completely while one of them has scar tissue left behind. so that should make things interesting going forward!
@redheadedandcrazy Again, a good piercer should be able to work around issues like awkwardly healed ears and scar tissue. And I'm with you on the needle phobia! But getting pierced with an actual needle is (a) faster, (b) better, and (c) often hurts less! (I can't say whether it did for mine or not, as my piercing gun ones are on my lobes and my needle one is in cartilage. But it didn't hurt as badly!) Also they heal hella better and won't keep getting reinfected forever. (FOREVER. Sometimes my lobe piercings still do, which is WHAT, nonsense, I've had them for over a decade.)
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher this is all awesome to hear. seriously. you have strengthened my resolve!
@redheadedandcrazy Hooray! Go do it (when you're ready), earrings are the bestest accessories! (And by "the bestest" I mean "the only ones I ever wear with any regularity.)
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher I know I've been CRAVING wearing earrings lately! Every where I look there are cute earrings I want to be wearing RIGHT NOW!
The last time I had this craving, my ear lobes turned into burning swollen balls of pus. So, fingers crossed it goes better this time around!
@redheadedandcrazy I believe in you, your immune system, and the power of warm sea salt-and-water compresses!
@The Everpresent Wordsnatcher Oh, I always mean to love earrings more than I actually do, but I never, ever change the silver hoops I have in now (they are very nice, at least; I got them in Buenos Aires at some supposedly renowned jewelry guy's shop -- much better than the last pair that I left in for years and years, which were the ubiquitous and so hard to close silver hoop with a little ball that you could buy from a Guatemalan-sweater-wearing vendor on a college campus). But I have a bunch of costume/rhinestone clip-ons that belonged to my grandma, and while they're probably not worth anything, they're so, so, so pretty that I want to convert them into pierce earrings and wear them... but I know I won't actually do it.
DAMMIT, I have lost too many pairs of nice sunglasses to even consider buying one of these things, but the Swiss calendar ring came dangerously close to coming home with me.
Has this column ruined anyone else's life?
@Edith Zimmerman I might be dreaming about that bird pin tonight. Or a horde of cheerful crabbies offering me pearls.
@Edith Zimmerman *high-pitched cackle*
@monicamcl Oh, you laugh now, but we're sending you our therapy bills.
Why can't we have nice things??
@Edith Zimmerman Regularly! It ruins my life every time it runs, and then ruins my life again every day there is not a new Estate Jewelery post.
@Nicole Cliffe Don't worry, Edith got me back by using that goddamn picture of Pennywise the Clown for the "It Animal" post. And I'd only JUST started sleeping through the night again.
@Edith Zimmerman My life goal is no longer an awesome career and eighty dogs, but to obtain a memento mori skeleton ring.
It is resolved: In my next life I would like to be a mermaid. I will have a pet crab named Crabbulous who digs up pearls like that ring does, and together we will herd fish in the briny deeps. And I will wear that bird brooch in my beautiful wavy hair. (what is even in this coffee, you guys, oh my god)
Yay! So glad this column is back for the first day of work in the new year. Love all the pics, especially the precious little pansy. Pansies were traditionally the flower of thinking or contemplation (especially about a loved one), so it's particularly apt. Ah the sentimental Victorians! Best. I'd love to see a whole post on hair work one day--it's such a beautiful and mostly lost art that people either don't know about or don't understand.
@Stella Potato agree to disagree, I guess?
@gobblegirl Hmm... Even this? (That's hair!)
http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/images/copied/imagesLZ/Victorian2/vict34828b.jpg
@Stella Potato key difference: not wrapped around your wrist. ;)
@gobblegirl Ah, yes, now I get you. The old, dead hair touching skin business leaves a bit to be desired.
(This is a great site for mourning and hair jewelry: http://artofmourning.com/)
I am retroactively mad at everyone who didn't give me that crab ring for Christmas.
I would take that bird brooch to the grave if I got my hands on it. Sigh.
Wait, how does the calendar ring work? Does the bead just mark the month it is currently or are there more moving parts I don't see?
@distrighema It's hard to tell from the picture, but apparently the black column of dates is an adjustable wheel, so moving the bead allows you to align them with the days of the week for whichever month it is.
Informal Hairpin meetup at the Asian Art Museum in SF on the 14th to look at the Maharaja exhibit and ogle all the jewels! (think particularly: that last set of Lucknow earrings above) Afterwards there's a formal barhop. http://www.facebook.com/events/168950836539339/
@Diana I went to an exhibit of Mughal jewelry and it changed my life. Everyone in SF should go to that exhibit!
How gorgeous! I'm a big fan of the OMG that dress! blog, which features estate and antique jewelry quite frequently, in addition to the historical clothing.
My own favorite piece of antique jewelry is a brass wedding band that belonged to a Civil War soldier. When he was killed in battle, they sent the ring back to his widow, who painted it black with some interweaving white flowers (Lilies, maybe? The dealer wasn't sure.) and then wore it herself. It's not as stunning as the pieces featured here, but I do love it.
I love this column! The pansy and the crab are adorable indeed - but hello,
The aquamarine?? I am just sitting here staring at its opulent prettiness.
And check it out it is half price! Sigh....
Monica, this is your job? Can I have a your job? Pretty pretty birdy, why would they do him with silver instead of platinum?
@noReally It used to be my job; now it's just a sideline that helps keep me sane!
Platinum was being used around the time that this brooch was made, but it was still early in its popularity. So silver was still a common option.
Platinum really took off with the onset of the all-white Edwardian style, which lasted from 1901 to 1910 or so. After that, it continued to be popular with all the big designers, but then World War II struck, and it was banned from all "non-essential" use.
I'm gonna get you, bird brooch. You watch out.
I didn’t realize that your bird was a fur clip until I saw the back photo. I’ve been dabbling in antiques all my life (even as a child), and I’ve never seen one that exquisite. The hairwork bracelet is magnificent, and what I would consider a museum piece.
www.springantiquemall.com