New rings

Five très jolies rings just hit the shop. The moss agate is my favorite, the intaglio is the rarest, the tourmaline and amethyst is the sparkliest, the cigar band is the most wearable, and the pale amethyst and seed pearl is the prettiest. All winners.

Custom Victorian glass signet seal rings

I recently acquired several Victorian glass intaglio seals, loose and begging to be set as rings. I've chosen to set them simply in 10K yellow gold. The prongs grip the seal at the beveled side, allowing the intaglio face to remain unhindered (i.e. if you want to actually stamp with your ring, you can!) The seals are deep, giving the rings an impressive profile. Orders placed by the middle of November can be ready in time for Christmas - what a perfect gift! $680 + shipping. Layaway optional.

The signets read, left to right, top to bottom:

Elle est legere (It is lightweight), with an image of a chain

Paix a mon ami (Peace to my friend), with a dove and laurel branch

Je me change qu'en mourant (I will remain steadfast until death), with a leaf SOLD

Le globe est ma patrie (the planet is my nation/country), with a globe

Qui me neglige, me perd (He who neglects me, loses me), with a bird escaping a cage SOLD

May the (wings) of friendship never lose (a feather), with wings and a feather

Repondez s'il vous plait (Reply, if you please)

A's well that ends well . . . , with a thistle

Usque ad cineres (Until ashes), with clasped hands

We part to meet again, with a pair of scissors SOLD 

If you are interested in ordering a custom ring, please contact me.

Victorian Stag Locket

I just listed an incredible locket this afternoon - a ca. 1880s Victorian stag locket with enamel details. The stag was a symbol of harmony and honor ("will fight if needed" kind of thing) to the Victorians and Queen Victoria herself had several items of jewelry with either stag teeth or stag motifs. Her husband, Prince Albert, enjoyed hunting the animal. The blue enamel on the locket forms the horizon behind the stag, which stand majestically on a rocky slope. The details on the animal are wonderful and the locket is in excellent condition. I don't believe it was ever worn, actually.

In this article, you can read about some of the teeth (human and animal!) jewelry that Queen Victoria possessed and see a fascinating stag tooth necklace gifted to her by Prince Albert.

HONEYBEE Czech necklace

This necklace, which is most certainly Czech in origin, makes me very excited. It is so rare to find front-clasp necklace like this. In fact, I was only able to find three other examples around the web this week (two of which come from this shop, which I would argue has the best selection of collectible Czech jewelry on Etsy). What makes this necklace even more interesting is the color choice - bold, nearly neon yellow and black. I've truly never seen anything like it. I hope it goes to a great home.