Description
A c.1820-30 late Georgian diamond half hoop ring, featuring five old mine cut diamonds (approx. 1.15 ctw) in foiled cut-down collets, atop a solid 18k yellow gold hoop chased continuously with floral scrollwork. While five and seven-stone half hoop rings were one of the most popular ring forms of the late Georgian period, the present ring is rather unusual in the separation of the diamonds into distinct collets, resulting in a gallery profile similar to earlier 17th c hoop rings with boxed settings. Deep floral chasing, a decorative technique seen on early 18th c posy rings, enjoyed a robust revival during the 1820-30s. 19th c diamond hoop rings can be difficult to date, due to the design being continuously produced throughout the century. However, the inclusion of a classically late Georgian chased hoop on the present ring is a distinctive period feature and helps to narrow the dating to c. 1820-30. The neatly executed gold backing to the silver diamond settings is reflective of British workmanship. Several early 19th c diamond half hoops are illustrated on p. 135 of “Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830” by Ginny Redington Dawes with Olivia Collings. Rings of this type were worn almost exclusively by women, popular during the opening decade of the 19th century when Neoclassical fashions demanded simplicity and restraint. The British fashion magazine, La Belle Assemblée, for instance cautioned young women against over-display: “A hand loaded with jewels is no longer a hand. Let young females, in particular, shun this useless luxury” (March 1806). Indeed, gone were the monumental plaque rings of the 1780-90s. The magazine’s July edition from that same year featured a letter full of effusive enthusiasm for half-hoop and full-hoop rings: “[…] now anxiously sought for by all our women of fashion; it consists of one row of precious stones set separately, in the form of a hoop […] and has a most attractive and brilliant affect” (p. 335, July 1806).