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Amethyst charm
£0.00
Antique amethyst and 15ct gold charm
We love this tiny button back charm! Add a beautiful hit of purple to your charm collection, dress her up with a bolt ring, try her on a chunky old watch chain…lots of possibilities.
Hallmarked: no
Bought as tested 15ct gold
Untested gemstone
Condition: okay; missing two claws around setting; unsoldered jump ring
Out of stock
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Green paste half hoop ring
Victorian foiled green paste 15ct gold closed back half hoop ring
It’s a pleasure to offer for sale this super charming - and very collectable - antique stacking band. It presents a uniform row of five foil back hard glass stones of pleasing vivid green colour. Each measures around 3mm. They are brilliant cut and simulate real emeralds very well – but without the hefty price tag! Green paste of the 19th century is in itself relatively hard to find and rather sought after. (See p.97 of Georgian Jewellery, Dawes and Collings, for a wonderful look at Georgian era green paste jewellery.) The middle three stones are quite light and bright in colour, while each outer stone is a deeper moss green. This gives a nice variation and depth as we look upon the ring. The stones are all set closed back in beautiful buttery gold, and joined to a simple bifurcated band which tapers from 3.8mm at the shoulder to 2.85 at the underside. There is no date mark, merely a clear 15ct stamp, but as this composition of gold was only used from 1854 to 1932, at a guess we can date this ring from around the 1850s-60s from its style. We don't recommened getting the ring wet as it would cause the foils to deteriorate .
Size: N 1/2 (UK) / 6.75 (US)
Hallmarked: no
Simply stamped ‘15ct’ inside band
Gross weight: 2g
Condition: resize mark; light abrasions to stones; overall good
Size: N 1/2 (UK) / 6.75 (US)
Hallmarked: no
Simply stamped ‘15ct’ inside band
Gross weight: 2g
Condition: resize mark; light abrasions to stones; overall good 
Dove of peace gold fob seal
Antique dove of peace green hardstone gold fob seal
Our ancestors loved their intaglio fobs! They would wear them at the the end of their watch chain or as an appendage to a chatelaine as part of their every day wear. This lovely tiny example is set with a nice green stone to its terminal carved with a highly detailed, classical dove carrying an olive branch in its beak beneath the word Peace. It really is beautiful. The top of the fob is comprised of finely worked gold, lovely naturalistic scrolls and flourishes. A bail allows for it to placed on your chain, charm holder or split ring. There are no markings but we can certainly date it to the 19th century, likely Victorian, possibly a little earlier. It measures 21.9mm in length, and the stone set terminal measures 14 x 14.8mm. The bail has an inner diameter of 3.4mm and a width of 3.75mm from the outside. It appears to be solid gold but possibly had some base metal added to its core for inner strength.
Acid tested as gold of at least 9ct
Gross weight: 3g
Condition: a little visible lead solder; good overall
Acid tested as gold of at least 9ct
Gross weight: 3g
Condition: a little visible lead solder; good overall 
Diamond and pearl enamelled mourning ring
Victorian rose cut diamond and pearl black enamel 18ct gold mourning ring with inscription circa 1846
The jewellery of our predecessors doesn't come any sadder or sweeter than this little flower. At the centre sits a lovely rose cut diamond held in tiny silver claws, as was the custom of the era. Five luminous silvery pearls sit around it to form a pansy, which according to the jewellery language of the time indicated the wearer was dwelling in her thoughts. Inside the band we learn why, as here is the inscription, "Ellen Watson ob 30, april 1846". The full set of crisp hallmarks, which include the duty mark, confirm the ring was made in 1846, no doubt commissioned by Ellen's daughter or sister when they were in mourning for her death. The delicate, leaf-like shoulders have lovely black enamel detailing for a gothic look that feels really edgy today. The flower measures around 8.2mm with a rise of 4mm. The shoulders taper to a band of 1.8mm. The date letter has been struck seemingly by accident on the outside of one shoulder. The flower has space for a locket behind it, now vacant.
Size: J (UK) / 4 3/4 (US)
Hallmarked: yes
Maker's mark: ES (indistinct)
Date letter: k (1846)
Assay office: London
Composition of gold: 18ct
Gross weight: 2g
Condition: noticeable wear to at least two pearls; pretty good otherwise
Size: J (UK) / 4 3/4 (US)
Hallmarked: yes
Maker's mark: ES (indistinct)
Date letter: k (1846)
Assay office: London
Composition of gold: 18ct
Gross weight: 2g
Condition: noticeable wear to at least two pearls; pretty good otherwise
Sale!
£195.00 £155.00
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Foiled amethyst locket back brooch
Fine Georgian foiled amethyst and gold locket back brooch
Here we have a splendid brooch of circa 1830, comprising foiled amethysts in cut down, closed back gold settings. The stones are all flat cut, with one round cut added as a replacement at a later date. They vary in colour from pale lavender to deep, dark purple. At the centre of the brooch is a vacant domed crystal compartment with a wonderful hinged aperture to verso. The original 'c' clip and pin are in fine working order, together with a later gold safety chain. The piece measures around 23.8mm in length and 18mm in width, with a thickness of approximately 8.1mm. Each stone measures around 4mm in its gold setting.
Hallmarked: no
Acid tested as low carat gold
Gross weight: 6g
Condition: two visible chips to amethysts and one a replacement; small chip to edge of glass locket back
Hallmarked: no
Acid tested as low carat gold
Gross weight: 6g
Condition: two visible chips to amethysts and one a replacement; small chip to edge of glass locket back