c.1820 & late 19th c Diamond Cluster Ring 2.27 ctw

A large 19th century diamond cluster dress ring, the c. 1820-30 chased yellow gold setting paired with a late 19th c ring face, featuring a cluster of old mine cut diamonds (about 2.27 ctw) in cut-down collet settings, the center diamond about 1.2 ct. The deeply chased mount, of 15k purity and quite heavy at 9.2 grams, suggests late Georgian English workmanship, characterized by a chasing technique so three-dimensional that it resembles relief carving or repoussé, and by the profusion of floral scrollwork and shell motifs. For an early 19th c English diamond cluster ring featuring a similar chased gold setting, see p. 328 of “Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love, and Loyalty” by Diana Scarisbrick. A slightly later made c.1840 German variant, featuring the same style of chased gold floral motifs, but with less dimensional depth than the English counterparts, is in the Koch Collection (cat. 1478, “Rings, The Alice and Louis Koch Collection” by Anna Beatriz Chadour). Early 19th c Georgian rings made for women lean on the daintier side, with most weighing between 2-4 grams; the substantial heft and size of the present ring suggest it was made for a gentleman, and was likely worn on the pointer or pinky fingers. The ring face diamond cluster, while of a style consistent with late Georgian trends, is more likely a marriage applied during the late 19th century, to what was then an already decades-old setting. The ‘starry’ closely-spaced and rather tall ‘tips’ surrounding each collet is suggestive of Portuguese workmanship, as is the concentric flat gold disk in between the center and halo diamonds.
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