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Item Number: PT 019

A fine early Victorian portrait Intaglio of Menelaus; King of ancient Sparta and husband of the desirable Helen of Troy.

The Intaglio is carved in a luminous lime/olive Chrysoberyl Alexandrite of excellent clarity and the bearded Menelaus is facing left and wearing his distinctive helmet and his cloak is gathered on his right shoulder by a circular clasp. The portrait is carved into the flat table surface of the gem and the surrounding edges are faceted as is the reverse of the stone.

Although I have a certificate for this Alexandrite, I must stress that the colour change is negligible, just a faint tinge of brown under artificial light, not the well known green to red of precious Alexandrite but I must repeat that the lime colour of this stone is most attractive. This desirable Gemstone is set in a plain ring mount, unmarked and testing as 18ct Gold.

Alexandrite Intaglio circa 1850 Gold ring mount circa 1890

Condition: Good Weight of Ring:12g Dimensions:14mm x 16mm

Size: UK:P USA: 7 ½ Japan:16

Price £5800

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A carved Labradorite Cameo of Jupiter, facing right, in a Gold ring mount with a surround of bead work and rope twist decoration, to a split shouldered ring shank, all unmarked and testing as 18 carat Gold. A small chip on the right hand side next to the gold setting edge is almost unnoticeable and does not detract from this fine Cameo. English circa 1820

Condition: as above Weight of ring: 10g

Dimensions of Cameo: 15mm x 27mm

Size: UK: P ½ USA: 8 ¼ Japan: 17

Price: £980

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An interesting looking Signet Ring. The woman who was selling it told me she acquired it in Greece about 20 years ago and it was second hand then, so the ring was probably made in the 1960’s. The circular top has a surround of Greek key pattern in dark Royal Blue enamel and a central Gold Cameo bust of Alexander the Great facing left. The inner shank is stamped K18 and although there is no makers mark, I would judge from the quality of this ring, that it was made by one of Athens better jewellers. 18 carat Gold & Enamel. Greek circa 1960’s

I have no section for Georgian Portrait Miniatures, so hence you find this Ring in the Cameo group. This beautiful petite faced woman must have been a society darling and was painted about 1820. Her very long hair cascades over her right shoulder and is threaded with many Pearls. The protective concave glass is in a rub over setting and the Rings slender shoulders are divided with a dart design to a slightly channeled shank, unmarked and testing as 18ct Gold. The miniature is probably painted on Ivory but the bezel is sealed so it is a matter of conjecture. A very elegant Ring. English circa 1820.

A Victorian stone Portrait of William Shakespeare, carved with great skill from a single piece of naturally layered Black and White Onyx. The nose and all the other features are in good condition and I see that he is wearing an earring, as did many Elizabethan gentlemen at that time, now a fashion that is back again, this being the second Elizabethan era. This fine Cameo is in a rub over Gold mount with a Gold rope work surround to a later Gold shank. English circa 1880

A fine looking black and white Onyx two layer Cameo of an elegant late 18^th century woman carved in the neo Classical style with her braided hair gathered in a chignon and with her robe at her shoulder. The Cameo is set in an early 19^th century Ring mount with a channeled bezel to plain shoulders and shank, unmarked and testing as 18ct Gold. Most good Cameos, unless they represent gods and goddesses etc. were the carved likeness of a living person but alas, I am not qualified to identify the original sitter. She would be an important woman of rank and if you buy this Ring, I suggest you consult a Portrait Museum or painting dealer who specialises in this field. English circa 1790-1810

A very pretty Opal Cameo portrait of a woman looking to her left and wearing a Mantilla or similar headdress, mounted in a “Picture Frame”, set with four Cabochon Opals at the corners and five Rose Diamonds on either side. The Gem carver has used a fine piece of Opal for his artistry and in it I can see sunset pinks, neon blue and luminous greens, this type of stone is sometimes called a Pin Fire Opal. The inner shank is stamped 18ct for 18ct Gold. English circa 1890.

An English Regency Bloodstone cameo ring. The oval cameo with a portrait of a lady wearing a laurel leaf band in her hair, carved in the classical style and mounted in a Gold channel set bezel, to flared shoulders and a plain unmarked shank, testing as 18ct Gold. English, circa 1820

This is a very desirable ring for two reasons. The first is that the carved head of Cupid, son of Venus, is a very fine 18th Century Cameo and the gem carver was highly skilled. He also used a very good Carnelian stone for his artistry. The end product being this chubby faced curly haired boy looking out at us nearly 300 years after he was created. The second reason to justify my praise of this ring, is the Goldsmith who married his talent with this wonderful cameo. His name was John Brogden (1820-1896), England's most famed 19th Century Goldsmith. His initials, 'JB' are impressed inside the shank and he made a substantial channel set ring mount to display Cupid at his best. Wearing this ring is truly sculpture on the finger.

A carved boulder Opal of a bearded Moor, the colourful part of the Opal forming his headdress and the brown poche, his face. The unmarked Gold shank tests as 18ct Gold. The Opal was probably carved by Julius Schmidt who worked in Sloane Street, London between 1880 and 1910, and was well known as a gem carver, specialising in boulder Opal subjects, which he sold on to the London Jewellery trade. English, circa 1890

A spectacular Regency carved Bloodstone cameo portrait of the Emperor Constantine, wearing a diadem and facing right, the top three folds of his cloak showing at his throat. This handsome portrait is set in a fine closed back ring mount, with channel set border and tapering hoop, all in unmarked 18ct Gold. This cameo ring is both large and imposing and will appeal to the extrovert in you whether you are a man or a woman. This is exactly the kind of ring that could have been worn by Beau Brummel. English, circa 1810

A Georgian Agate and Gold ring. The oval brown and cream Agate carved as a cameo of a woman washing herself from a bowl. This is a very rare subject for a cameo carving, it is almost as though the gem carver was a 'Peeping Tom'. The Gold mount is a simple Georgian bezel and a four strand wire work shank. English, circa 1760

An antique three layered white and brown Agate and Gold ring. The Agate Cameo of a patrician lady with long flowing hair in a Regency period Gold ring mount, to a narrow shank, unmarked, tests as 18ct Gold. The cameo was probably purchased on the Grand Tour, brought back to England and mounted here, the finger size is quite small so the last owner was probably a lady. This cameo can be proudly worn by either sex. Ring mount circa 1810, cameo, Italian, circa 1740

An Onyx and Gold ring. The dark brown/black rectangular Onyx, cameo carved with a head of a classical woman, mounted in closed back setting, the rings shoulders and shank with reeding and flared semi-scroll design. The inner shank unmarked and testing as 14ct Gold. Very minor chip on base of neck. I am told that this ring, along with several others, some of which are on my website, were purchased from an American sail boat captain at Portsmouth Harbour, England, in 1918 because the captain needed money to pay his crew. The shopkeeper who bought the rings, kept them and I purchased them recently from one of his descendants. This ring is American, circa. 1888