SANTA SARSARA \ THE UBRAKY OF / \ il als. I? CHATS ON OLD JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS BOOKS FOR COLLECTORS With Coloured Frontispieces and many Illustrations. Large Crown 8vo, cloth. CHATS ON ENGLISH CHINA. By ARTHUR HAYDKN. CHATS ON OLD FURNITURE. By ARTHUR HAYDBN. CHATS ON OLD PRINTS. By ARTHUR HAYDBN. CHATS ON COSTUME. By G. WOOLLISCROFT RHEAD. CHATS ON OLD LACE AND NEEDLEWORK. By E. L. LOWES. CHATS ON ORIENTAL CHINA. By J. F. BLACKER. CHATS ON MINIATURES. By J. J. FOSTER. CHATS ON ENGLISH EARTHENWARE By ARTHUR HAYDBN. (Companion Volume to "Chats on English China.' CHATS ON AUTOGRAPHS. By A. M. BROADLBY. CHATS ON OLD PEWTER. By H. J. L. J. MASSE, M.A. CHATS ON POSTAGE STAMPS. By FRED J. MELVILLE. CHATS ON OLD JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS. By MACIVER PERCIVAL. LONDON : T. FISHER UNWIN. NEW YORK : F. A. STOKES COMPANY. CHATS ON OLD JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS BY MACIVER /PERCIVAL NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS (All rights reserved.) PREFACE THIS little book has been written mainly for minor collectors those who love old things, but cannot afford to pay large prices for them. A piece, the possession of which involves the writing of a cheque three is out of their reach for figures, definitely ; even two figures is not a light matter to them, and they prefer to pursue their hobby in those less exalted regions where ten pounds goes a long way, and quite desirable things can be had for a sovereign or two. Of course they will not, at their price meet with things of the kind that it has been the aim of generations of collectors to add to their treasures. It is highly improbable, for instance, that they will find such treasures as the enamels of the and centuries sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth ; and naturally, pieces set with fine stones will not come their But that should not deter them way. ( from starting on the quest. We do not disdain coloured prints because we cannot have Holbein's if carvexl paintings ; and Chippendale's mahogany " chairs are out of reach, do we not find beech ladder- " backs very picturesque ? So when we cannot 10 PREFACE afford diamonds let us collect cut steel ; and as painted enamels fetch the prices they do at auction sales, we will be happy with our little grisaille paintings on ivory in their dainty paste mounts. However, we must hasten if we want to buy them before prices mount, otherwise in the future we may mournfully look back on bygone days when such things could be bought for a mere song. The field is a wide one wherein we may search. Treasure-trove may be found in the trinket-boxes of old ladies, who, having grown up in the days " " when solid gold reigned supreme, do not value the pretty trifles on which capable craftsmen of former times have displayed their powers, and are quite willing to part with them to those who do. Sometimes a find is made among the oddments of a provincial jeweller, put aside to be broken up for the gold which they contain. A pawnbroker's in Edinburgh has yielded a very fine Flemish pendant; and in a London West End shop a charm- ing eighteenth-century buckle has been bought for a few shillings. Even of more splendid things the collector must not despair (though being over- sanguine may lead him into the toils of the forger), and he should keep his eyes open, and know all he can of all sides of his subject, so as to be ready for any chance that may come his way. Was not the "Tara" brooch, now the pride of the Dublin Museum, offered to a metal dealer for eighteen- pence and refused? It is, perhaps, more important that the settings and goldwork of a piece should be in good con- PREFACE 11 dttion and of fine workmanship, than that all the stones should be in place. Of course, the in- trinsic value of stones may be considerable, but can be but if they replaced ; metal work and (more particularly) enamel are badly damaged, it is prac- tically impossible to make them good. However, really old specimens should never be consigned to the melting-pot without due thought, as damaged pieces of some periods are more valu- able than perfect ones of others, by reason of the scarcity of any specimens at all. There are fortunate people who have no need to collect old jewellery, as they are lucky enough to have had forbears who, generation by generation, have added to the family jewel-case specimens of each new fashion. Thrice happy is she whose " " ancestors have been content with adding and " have not suffered from the mania for resetting." I hope they will find a fresh interest in their belongings after looking through this volume, and comparing them with the illustrations. These same illustrations will, I trust, prove useful to students and artist jewellers, who may find inspiration for their work in the study of the masterpieces of the old-time craftsmen. In writing this book I have not adopted entirely either of the two conventional plans for such works. That is to say, the historical, which follows the whole art in its progress through the ages, or the other, which deals with each class of ornament in a separate chapter, tracing its history through the different periods. 12 PREFACE The scheme actually followed includes a short historical sketch up to the end of the seventeenth century. It makes no pretence to being complete, but will, I hope, be found to contain all that is necessary to lead up to the more detailed chapters, which deal with eighteenth and early nineteenth- century work, and the subjects which appeal to the minor collectors, for whom this book has been written. In this miscellaneous section various points of for collector of view have been taken ; instance, the " " rings will find a chapter devoted to his subject, while the specialist in a particular material, such as " " Pinchbeck," or paste," has not been forgotten. In these are incorporated the notes and sketches which have been collected during many years past, both with regard to pieces which I or my friends possess, and those which have specially interested me as a practical jeweller and enameller. In conclusion, I must most heartily thank those friends who have kindly allowed me to photograph specimens from their collections, and the authorities of the British, the "Victoria and Albert," and the Birmingham Museums, both for permission to take original photographs and also to reproduce those officially supplied. My gratitude is also due to Sir George Birdwood, C.S.I., Mr. Rathbone (London), Mr. Mackay (Birmingham), Mr. Beloc, the Queen newspaper, and the Artcraftsman for permission to use photographs and other material. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE . 9 GLOSSARY . .21 CHAPTER I. ANCIENT JEWELLERY . .41 II. THE MIDDLE AGES . .69 III. FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE RENAISSANCE TO THE END OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 97 IV. THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES 125 V. PROVINCIAL JEWELLERY . .167 VI. ORIENTAL JEWELLERY : INDIAN, CHINESE, JAPANESE . 203 VII. BROOCHES . 227 VIII. RINGS . .-*." 255 IX. SHOE BUCKLES . 273 13 14 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE X. PAINTERS AND GOLDSMITHS . 283 XI. DIAMONDS, PRECIOUS STONES, AND PEARLS . 297 XII. CAMEOS AND INTAGLIOS . -315 XIII. PASTE AND OTHER SUBSTITUTES FOR DIAMONDS 343 XIV. PINCHBECK . -357 XV. BOOKS ...... 369 INDEX ..... 377 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FULL-PAGE PLATES BUCKLES Frontispiece PAGE EGYPTIAN ORNAMENTS . 43 GREEK AND ETRUSCAN GOLDWORK ROMAN EAR-RINGS 59 ROMAN ORNAMENTS . 63 BYZANTINE BROOCH 69 BYZANTINE JEWELS . 73 TEUTONIC JEWELS 79 MEDIAEVAL JEWELS . 91 RENAISSANCE JEWELS . 99 RENAISSANCE PENDANTS 103 SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY JEWELS H5 SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY JEWELS . 119 15 16 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE EARLY EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ORNAMENT . 127 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY IN-MEMORIAM JEWELLERY . 133 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CORSAGE ORNAMENT . 137 MISCELLANEOUS EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ORNAMENTS . 143 NINETEENTH-CENTURY JEWELLERY . !$! CASTELLANI PENDANT . .163 NORMAN-FRENCH PENDANTS AND EAR-RINGS . 173 FLEMISH, RUSSIAN, AND TURKISH ORNAMENTS . .177 ITALIAN PEARL-WORK EAR-RINGS . l8l ADRIATIC EAR-RINGS . .185 NORWEGIAN PEASANT ORNAMENTS . .189 SWEDISH AND NORTH GERMAN PEASANT ORNAMENTS . 193 ITALIAN AND SPANISH PEASANT ORNAMENTS . 197 INDIAN AND PERSIAN ORNAMENT .... 205 INDIAN AND BURMESE EAR-RINGS AND NECKLACES. 213 CHINESE FEATHER AND PEARL-WORK . 219 ANGLO-SAXON AND MEROVINGIAN BROOCHES . 235 BROOCHES, NORTHERN COUNTRIES AND CELTIC . 239 MEDIEVAL BROOCHES ..... 243 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 17 PACK EIGHTEENTH- AND NINETEENTH-CENTURY BROOCHES . 249 RINGS FROM THE NINTH TO THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY 257 SIXTEENTH- AND SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY PENDANTS 289 CAMEOS . r 317 WEDGWOOD CAMEOS ...... 339 CUT STEEL . ... 353 PINCHBECK . 359 LINE-DRAWINGS IN TEXT EGYPTIAN AMULETS . 24 ROMAN BULLA . V .2$ GREEK EAR-RING '. 54 BYZANTINE BROOCH . .76 VISIGOTHIC CROWN ..'... 87 PENDANT BY BROSAMER . Ill PENDANT, FROM A PAINTING BY MABUSE . 113 ' SANTINI ORNAMENT . .123 SEVENTEENTH- OR EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BROOCH . 125 ROCOCO ORNAMENT . 139 18 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE DESIGN BY POUGET-FILS . S . .147 MINIATURE FRAME . '.148 EMPIRE COMB . .156 PINCHBECK COMB . 1 57 NINETEENTH-CENTURY EAR-RING . .159 EAR-RING, 1840 ... l6o LUCKENBOOTH BROOCHES . .170 TURKISH CLASP ...... 2O2 JADE PENDANT . .209 NAIL-GUARD ...... 222 JAPANESE COMB ...... 222 NETSUKE .... 223 EARLY FORMS OF BROOCHES . .227 EARLY BROOCH TYPES . 230 PENANNULAR PIN ...... 237 SCOTCH RING BROOCH . .245 GIRANDOLES ... ... 247 EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BROOCH . .-251 NINETEENTH-CENTURY BROOCHES . 2$2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 19 PAGE GOLD BROOCH . .253 ETHELWULF'S RING . .261 WEDDING-RING . .265 GIMMEL RING . ... .267 DECADE RING ...... 268 GIARDINETTI RINGS ..... 268 MARQUISE RINGS .... 269 EPISCOPAL RINGS ..... 272 ARCHER'S RING ..'... 272 COLOURED PASTE BUCKLE .... 276 PASTE BUCKLE . ... 277 ' BRASS BUCKLE . 278 MOTHER-OF-PEARL BUCKLE . 279 GOLD BUCKLE ...... 280 JEWEL IN PICTURE BY GHIRLANDAJO . 287 CLASP FROM PICTURE BY MANTEGNA .