Late 18th c Portuguese Chrysoberyl Octagonal Ring

A large c. 1780-1800 Portuguese ring, set with approx. 11.87 ctw of natural chrysoberyls in closed-back foiled collets, with a later 18k gold replacement shank in the 18th century style. The elongated octagonal ring face is quintessentially neoclassical in shape and form. Plaque-like rings of heft and substance emerged throughout Europe c. 1770, replacing earlier rococo designs that were mostly circular, curvilinear, and dainty. According to Diana Scarisbrick in “The S.J. Phillips Collection of Jewels of Portugal”, this neoclassical trend largely resulted in the production of larger-scale rings in Portugal, with chrysoberyl-set marquise or pointed oval shapes being the most common, which were now worn so as to cover the finger from joint to knuckle. The present ring is somewhat unusual in that it combines quintessentially Portuguese materials with a foreign design. The ring’s octagonal shape with a halo and three central stones can be attributed to contemporaneous French designs from the late 18th century, as seen in the design drawings of Jean Raps, n. 4511, now preserved in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. While French rings of this type would have featured diamonds, pearls, or pastes set against a ground of enamel or glass, the present Portuguese interpretation takes its essential outline for an openwork version in chrysoberyl. The adaptation of French designs in Portuguese jewelry making was a common and popular practice throughout the 17th-18th centuries. For instance, the Portuguese court under Queen Maria I were ardent followers of French fashions; surviving correspondence between the queen’s jewel keeper and her ambassador in Paris between 1777-1792 reveal the former requesting sketches of the latest French designs.