c. 1810-20 Georgian Topaz Cross

A c. 1810-20 Georgian Regency cross, set with scissor-cut Brazilian topaz of a golden-peach ‘imperial’ hue (approx. 7.78 ctw), the 18k yellow gold setting chased with halo rays and foliate ornaments, the bail original and chased with fine laurel scrolls. The topazes would have been sourced from the Minas Gerais mines, celebrated for its yield of ‘minas novas’ colored quartzes, beryls, chrysoberyls, and topazes that would become a staple of Rococo and Georgian jewels. Anglo-Portuguese trade, flourishing with the 1703 Methuen treaty, intensified throughout the 18th century; by 1800, Brazilian color gems were almost as frequently seen in English-made jewelry as Portuguese counterparts. Following 1822 and the independence of Brazil, England pursued direct economic activity in Brazil, including the opening of mining companies in Minas Gerais, further increasing English access to Brazilian gems. The present cross would have been contemporaneous with Jane Austen’s active years as a writer. In 1801, Jane’s brother Charles Austen, then an officer with the Royal Navy, received a prize money for the capture of an enemy ship; with this money he was able to purchase two gold and topaz crosses for his sisters. In a letter to Cassandra Austen, dated 26/27 May 1801, Jane wrote of the gift: “He has been buying Gold chains and Topaze Crosses for us; – he must be well scolded…I shall write again by this post to thank and reproach him. We shall be unbearably fine.” The teasing remarks of “he must be well scolded” and “we shall be unbearably fine” suggest the gift was a rather expensive indulgence from a doting brother. Indeed, the two crosses have survived and are now in the Jane Austen’s House Museum (inv. CHWJA:JAH20.1&2). One of the crosses is quite similar to the present example in the cut of the stone, construction, and workmanship (the open back, clean cut-down collet settings). The present pendant is somewhat unusual in that it has further chased gold ornamentation beyond the central cross shape, which dates it about a decade later, c. 1810-20. Goldwork from this period, as a result of the economic depression following the Napoleonic wars, are intricate but lightweight in an effort to conserve material. A late regency topaz cross with an ornamental cannetille surround was owned by Florence Nightingale and is now in the Florence Nightingale Museum (No. 116).
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