18th c Portuguese Topaz Ring

A lovely 18th c Portuguese cluster ring, set with a 3.5 carat imperial topaz of a lovely orangy-peach hue, within a surrounding halo of clear quartz, in a closed-back foiled setting of silver-topped 19.2K gold. Like many Portuguese jewels made during the second half of the 18th century, the present ring is based on a French prototype then made popular all over Europe, characterized by its rococo scroll-work shank, forked shoulders set with side stones, convex posterior (which, unlike the English models, were not rayed, but often decorated with floral engravings), and a marked c-curl to the way the shank connects to the head. However, this ring nonetheless bears distinct Portuguese attributes in the use of Brazillian gemstones; unlike the French models, its ring head and profile is proportionally larger and much more dramatic, with the profiles of shoulder settings flaring like flower petals. Rings of this type are in the National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon; a group is illustrated on page 59 of “Five Centuries of Jewellery” by Leonore d’Orey. The splendid, colorful appearance of 18th century Portuguese jewelry was made possible by the discovery of rich gem deposits in Brazil (then a Portuguese colony). Beginning around 1729, mines at Minas gerais, Mato Grosso, and Bahia yielded a vast array of color gems: beryls of all colors, quartzes of all colors, chrysoberyls, and imperial topaz of various colors. These color gems granted Portuguese jewelers new opportunities to experiment with color and splendor. Jewels set with these “minas novas” gems enthusiastically adopted by the nobility and royalty. For example, a 1759 inventory of jewelry owned by the Duke of Aveiro references Brazillian topazes more frequently than all other gemstones, including diamonds and rubies.
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