Z Thornton Sep 14.Qxp

Fig 2. A late 19thC Scottish dirk brooch, with three Fig 5. A lava cameo bracelet, designed as a series tiered hardstone and smokey quartz panels, to the of oval-shape vari-shade cameos depicting various faceted smokey quartz terminal, with engraved profiles of gentlemen in period dress, some with detail. £200. laurel details. £190. Victorian Vintage Jewellery Fig 3. A selection of Scottish jewellery, to include a hardstone rectangular panel bracelet and twelve brooches, four brooches of thistle design, ten with and Accesories at Fellows marks to indicate silver. £180. By Zita Thornton Victorian jewellery was very well represented who were clamouring for cameos. Shell was at Fellows in May. The choice included Scottish softer and easier to carve and cameos could be agate pieces, cameos, lockets, momento and produced more quickly and cheaply. In the mid sentimental items. There was also a selection of nineteenth century a shell cameo was likely to decorative jewellery in gold or silver, set with cost around £1-£8 compared to a hardstone gems or carved from ivory, jet, jade and coral. cameo at £5-£40. Victorian cameo jewellery was Agate and other hardstone jewellery was a most often set into gold mounts with closed or favourite of the Victorians and was made in open backs. The more elaborate the setting, the Scotland using locally found stones. Bands of more expensive the cameo, then as now. Values coloured agate, carnelian or bloodstone would for a shell cameo in the Fellows sale reached be set, usually in silver, in traditional shapes £500, Fig 4, for a cameo brooch mounted in an such as an anchor or shield, or might encircle a elaborate 18ct gold surround with blue enamel cut stone such as smokey quartz. Jewellers in and bow details. The hammer fell on other shell Edinburgh would obtain their materials from cameo brooches for less than £150. The sale Usan near Montrose, Kinnoull Hill near Perth, included some lava cameo items with values of Fig 1. A late 19thC Scottish silver the Campsie Hills north of Glasgow and the less than £200 which represents a decline over agate anchor brooch, the shaped island of Rhum. So popular were these pieces the last four years. See Fig 5, £190. various agates forming an anchor, that by 1870 it was estimated that the number of Another choice of souvenir that made its way with rope-twist detail. £130. people working in agates in Scotland was about into popular jewellery pieces was carved ivory. two thousand. Although this type of jewellery Subjects included classical Roman motifs such fell out of favour by the First World War there as putti, after the celestial cherubs included in has recently been a revival with collectors from Raphael’s painting of 1512 or ‘The Doves of all over Europe and the United States. Pieces Pliny’ a mosaic discovered in 1737 at Hadrian’s with a strong design of stones and settings Villa near Rome. Flowers were fashionable achieve the highest prices, such as Fig 1, a subjects for carved ivory jewellery. A group of Scottish silver agate anchor brooch made in the five brooches in the sale at Fig 6 included all of late nineteenth century which made £130 and these motifs, £170. Fig 2 a traditional Scottish dirk brooch at £200. Jewellery made from jet became fashionable The latter reflected the Victorian romanticism of after Queen Victoria wore Whitby jet as part of the Scottish Highlands and an increase in her mourning dress after the death of Prince Fig 4. A mid 19thC 18ct gold shell tourists to the area, which saw traditional Albert. However, jet was not merely chosen for cameo and enamel brooch, the oval- Scottish shapes such as the circular plaid mourning jewellery as black became a stylish shape cameo carved to depict brooch, used since the iron age to fasten shawls, colour and expensive jet pieces became Terpsichore and Cupid, in an becoming popular souvenirs. A group lot in the fashionable status symbols. The sale included allegorical scene, to the snake-link sale at Fig 3, which raised more than twice its groups of jet jewellery including Fig 7, a surround with blue enamel bow detail. £500. high end estimate at £180, included several with selection of mainly jet jewellery at £75. Scottish motifs such as thistles, penannular and In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries annular (closed and open ring) brooches. death was commonplace and it was important It was souvenirs again that inspired another that the dead were not forgotten, hence the two form of popular Victorian jewellery. Tourists year mourning period. This was largely carried returning from Rome, most likely on one of the out by women so jewellery became an obvious new ‘Cook’s Tours’ satisfied their appetite for way to remember. For collectors, memorial classical art by reviving the ancient tradition items that can be identified are more desirable. widely used in Rome and Greece, of carving Thus a George III gold and enamel memorial cameos. Originally, cameos were carved in hard ring with an oval-shape panel depicting a white Fig 6. A selection of five ivory or semi precious stone, however, hardstone took enamel urn with a glazed hair panel in the brooches, to include a late 19thC longer to carve and was expensive, so the centre and a gilt weeping willow, which also has carved openwork brooch, depicting the Doves of Pliny, an oval cameo popularity of shell cameos rose as engravers a personal inscription dated 1807, contained brooch depicting a putto, together kept up with the demand from tourists flocking features and symbolism which pushed it to the with three further brooches. £170. to Rome, and from those back home in Britain top of the range and above its pre-sale estimate 36 ANTIQUES INFO - September/October 14 when the hammer fell at £320, Fig 8. More subtle symbolism was included on an early Victorian gold memento mori brooch, the porcelain panel painted to depict a maiden with an anchor and a dove, meaning hoping for peace in the after life with the initials ‘EM’ inscribed to the reverse. This item raised £220, Fig 9. A close relative of mourning jewellery is sentimental jewellery. These pieces exchanged between loved ones were steeped in symbolism Fig 7. A selection of late which would have been instantly understood by 19thC jewellery, to include the Victorians. A hand, carved in coral or ivory mainly jet, a sardonyx Fig 10. An early 19thC gold represented love or friendship. A serpent with cabochon brooch, a circular diamond and enamel senti- its tail in its mouth stood for eternity. Queen buckle design brooch, a mental heart pendant, the carved jet brooch depicting diamond point forget-me-not, Victoria’s own betrothal ring was a serpent Fig 13. A late 19thC conti- edelweiss and an edelweiss to the blue enamel heart- nental coral and diamond studded with emeralds. Hair was not only design locket. (9). £75. shape pendant, with glazed included in jewellery to remember the dead but panel reverse. £340. brooch, designed as a tiered also the living. The initial letter of different coral panel, each coral bead with rose-cut diamond accent, coloured jewels spelled out messages. A good with further rose-cut diamond example of sentimental jewellery was included Photos courtesy of Fellows Auctions. trefoil detail, suspending three in the sale in the form of an enamelled heart All prices hammer. similarly-designed tassels. pendant displaying a diamond set forget-me-not Coral untested for natural with a glazed panel to the reverse, Fig 10, colour origin. £920. £340. A Victorian heart-shaped sapphire and moonstone pendant brooch with an enamelled border of small flowers, with a photograph to the reverse raised £480. The desire to keep a person’s photograph close to the heart in this way made lockets popular. Their ability to be closed and secret added to their mystery and allure. A jet locket with a carved monogram opening to reveal both a photograph and hair Fig 8. A George III gold and panel raised £85 in the sale. Late Victorian enamel memorial ring, the silver lockets raised £55-£110, Fig 11, £85, and oval-shape panel depicting a white enamel urn with glazed a group of eight 9ct gold decorated heart and hair panel centre, to the black oval shaped lockets, some on chains raised a enamel and gilt weeping Fig 14. A selection of four reasonable £150. willow surround and late 19th century gold gem-set The Victorians wore coral for good luck and openwork band. Personal stickpins, to include a garnet inscription dated 1807. £320. cluster stickpin, a 15ct gold although fruit and flowers were fashionable ruby accent stickpin, together choices coral was included in sentimental or Fig 11. A late Victorian silver locket, of oval outline, with with two seed pearl and memorial pieces too. An astonishing result was engraved and raised rural diamond point accent knot achieved for a coral coiled serpent bangle when scene with tree, fence and pins. £75. the hammer came down at £780 over a £60-£90 golden bird in flight. Personal estimate, Fig 12. Another lot, Fig 13, also did engraving to reverse. better than expected when each coral bead Hallmarks for Birmingham, 1880. £85. forming a brooch was accented with a diamond, £920. A pair of matching earrings achieved £380. Stick pins became a fashionable accessory for men from the late eighteenth century as a means of securing voluminous neckwear. The designs became fancier as the centuries passed by including gems and novelty carvings with those depicting ‘country pursuits’ such as a fox’s head or horse’s hoof by the mid nineteenth century.

Load more