18th c Portuguese Chrysoberyl Cluster Ring

A lovely late 18th c Portuguese cluster ring, pavé-set with approx. 8.3 ctw of natural chrysoberyl, with a later 19.2k gold shank in a period-appropriate style. The circular ring head was originally a dress ornament, hair jewel, or button. Amongst the upper classes, 18th century sartorial mores demanded appropriate displays of wealth and good taste throughout; this resulted in a meticulous and literal head-to-toe showing of bejeweled ornamentation, from gem-laden shoe buckles to shirt and dress studs to adornments for the hair, all made from precious materials. For a magnificent set of mid-18th c Portuguese chrysoberyl buttons, see cat. 34, p. 50 of “The S.J. Phillips Collection of Jewels of Portugal”. The present ring’s cluster arrangement, a classic ‘target’ with a central gem enveloped by two concentric halos, is the most common and popular 18th c cluster design, found on ring heads made throughout Europe, in addition to other forms like earrings and earring heads. A chrysoberyl cluster ring of this design is illustrated on p. 78, cat. 105, of “Five Centuries of Jewellery: National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon” by Leonor d’Orey. Throughout the 20th century, once-popular ornaments such as shirt studs and hair jewels fell into obsolescence, and were transformed into more practical forms. As evidenced by the high-carat purity of the shank (19.2k, a uniquely Portuguese gold titration), the present ring was converted into its present form within Portugal, the work executed by a skilled jeweler who well-understood native designs and traditions. The ring shank, while later, is of a form similar to original 18th c shanks, with a trifurcated shoulder resembling a fleur-de-lis.

Chrysoberyl is a rare gem with few natural deposit sources. Prior to the 18th century, it was sourced mainly from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and too scarce to be fully understood. After 1729, deposits in Minas Gerais, Brazil were discovered, leading to popularized use and appreciation in Portugal and the rest of Europe. During the Georgian and Victorian eras, limited gemological knowledge often led to this gem being grouped with peridot and certain yellow-greenish sapphire/topaz under the umbrella term “chrysolite” (now defunct as a gemological classification). Today, gemologists classify chrysoberyl as an independent gem species (an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4) within the oxide mineral class (which also includes corundums sapphire and ruby). Chrysoberyl has a mohs hardness of 8.5, meaning it is the third hardest gem material available, after diamonds and corundums.
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