c.1840 Blue Enamel Diamond Cluster Ring

A c. 1840-50 early Victorian diamond cluster ring, with a central roundel of old mine cuts weighing approx. 1.3 ctw, the 5.75 x 4 mm rectangular center cushion approx. 0.6 ct, all against a ground of blue guilloche enamel and a setting of engraved yellow gold. The diamonds are quite attractive: lively, chunky, eye-clean, and watery. Georgian influence from decades prior is evident in the tight cut-down collet bezeling around the diamonds; in workmanship, overall appearance, and cut, the present ring’s central cluster bears similarity to an early 19th c ring illustrated on p. 137 of “Historic Rings” by Diana Scarisbrick. Both rings feature old mine cuts with characteristic historic charm, defined by high tables, deep pavilions, and well-like cutlets. The leafy foliate motifs seen along the shoulders of the present ring is particularly representative of the 1840-50s decades. Several rings illustrated in “Rings 1800-1910” by Verlaine Davies feature similar shoulders (see fig. 44, 79, 85). The embellishing touch of blue guilloche enamel is another Georgian inheritance, popular in jewelry design since about 1780, and continuing to be well-received during the early Victorian decades. Examples made c. 1840-50 can be distinguished by an inclination towards everted scrollwork shapes (such as the ring head of the present ring), as well as engraved edges and trims (also seen on the present ring). Examples of this type can be found on p. 168 of “Schmuck: Klassizismus und Biedermeier 1780-1850” by Brigitte Marquardt, p. 119 of “Understanding Jewellery” by David Bennet & Daniela Mascetti, and p. 206 of “French Jewelry of the Nineteenth Century” by Henri Vever.
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