I happened upon this incredible ring, attributed a German wedding ring from 1600-1650, on the Victoria & Albert Museum’s online archives. Two hands grasp an enameled diamond-set heart when the ring is worn, but when the ring is free from the finger, you can see it is actually comprised of three separate rings that rotate open to reveal secret engraving. On the insides of the shank, a portion of the marriage vows reads in German: “My beginning and my end” and “What God has joined together let no man put asunder”. Beyond the ring’s aesthetic value, this masterpiece is a historically-loaded combination of three styles of old rings: posy, gimmel, and fede rings.

A simple gold band with a small poem or verse engraved on the inside and/or outside is called a posy ring. Originally, in the Middle Ages, these rings were called resons; after 1430, they were referred to as posies– ‘poesy’ meaning ‘poetry’. Posy rings are believed to have been exchanged as love tokens more often than betrothel or wedding rings. The engravings were usually in French during the 13^th and 14^th Centuries, which was internationally regarded as “the language of love”. From the 15^th Century on, English script was more common. The style of the lettering is also indicative of age: the first posies were written in Lombardic script (rounded manuscript-style) with a change to Blackletter (gothic script) in the 15^th century.

English posy ring, 1295-1304, engraving in Lombardic script*

English posy ring, 1500-1600, "I AM YOURS KS"*

English posy ring, 1500-1530, Blackletter engraving*

A gimmel ring consists of two or three interlinked bands that are worn like one ring. The word “gimmel” comes from gemmellus, Latin for “the twins”. Historically, it is said that two interlocked bands represented man and woman; if there were three bands in the ring, they symbolized man, woman, and God or witness. Gimmel rings were created as far back as the 13^th Century and were exchanged as symbols of friendship, love, or marriage. In their simplest form, two plain metal bands are linked. In the 15^th century, gimmel rings became more popular and more elaborate, often incorporating sculptural components.

Gimmel ring, late 16th Century, Latin inscription reads "remember the past and that there is a future"**

A fede ring depicts a right hand-shake. Ancient Roman versions were called dextrarum iunctio (“giving, joining of right hands”) and represented the political agreement between families that takes place when a man and woman were betrothed. The hands-clasped motif reappeared in the Middle Ages– as early as the 12^th Century– and was reinterpreted into the Victorian age. The hands are sometimes sculpted into one band, with the handshake either featured on top of the finger or worn on the underside of a gemstone ring. The motif was alternatively incorporated by attaching different components atop separate bands of a gimmel ring that form a handshake when put together. In the 19^th Century, these rings were referred to as fede rings– the name comes from the Italian phrase manos in fede which means “hands-clasped in faith”.

Fede ring, 16th Century**

Irish fede ring, 19th Century, hands-clasped detail on underside of ring**

The awesome artistry in the German Renaissance ring inspired us to create our own reinvented posy-gimmel-fede ring. On the finger, it appears a modest gold ring modeled into a hand resting atop the finger. When you take the ring off and separate the bands, a female hand holding a garnet heart is revealed. The flat interiors of each band are intended for an engraved phrase, viewable only by the wearer.

Heirloom by Doyle & Doyle Garnet Heart Fede Gimmel Ring 18k, 093274R  $1400

*Victoria & Albert Museum online database: www.vam.ac.uk

**Rings: Symbols of Wealth, Power and Affection, Diana Scarisbrick, Abrams 1993.

Tags: garnet, Heirloom, modern jewelry, revival, Ring, Rings, victorian.

November sets off the season of family gatherings, and life gets a bit more hectic.

Our friend and familial obligations bring us together -  in pairs, in trios and in large groups.

You should do the same with your jewelry.

A great pair of earrings that go perfectly with a statement ring makes getting dressed for events and gatherings much easier; having more than one piece that you are completely in love with doesn’t hurt either.

And, like in life, your jewelry suite doesn’t have to be matchy matchy to work. Sometimes the most unlikely pairings are also the best.

Below, some of my favorite combinations of current Doyle & Doyle antique and vintage jewels, and some things to think about when picking out your duo:

Tip #1 – Take the High (End) Road.

I picked this pairing because what goes better with diamonds then, well, other diamonds? The Opal and Diamond Ring may be fashioned in yellow gold, and the Deco Diamond Drop Earrings in platinum, but their glamour is their commonality.

Opal and Diamond Ring

Deco Diamond Drop Earrings

Tip #2 – Be Prepared for the Unexpected.

Like seeing a so-so dress on a rack that looks amazing on, you never know when two pieces will just go together and look great, despite evidence to the contrary.

Take the Georgian Foil Back Garnet Pendant that I’ve paired with these Diamond Cluster Drop Earrings – their physical shape is similar (round and oval), and they are both yellow gold, but the visual similarities stop there.

But there’s no denying it – something about them together just WORKS.

Georgian Foil Back Garnet Pendant

Diamond Cluster Drop Earrings

Tip #3 – It’s in the Details…

Rather than finding matching colors for your two pieces, why not concentrate on their smaller, style details?

This Victorian Turquoise Bangle has a rope pattern that surrounds a line of turquoise stones. As soon as I saw this beautiful bracelet, I was reminded of our Heirloom by Doyle & Doyle Diamond Knot Earrings.  Finding similarities such as this make make your jewelry pairing more subtle than bold.

Victorian Turquoise and Rose Cut Diamond Bangle

Diamond Knot Earrings - Heirloom by Doyle & Doyle

Tags: Earrings, garnet, georgian, opal, Rings, rose cut diamonds, turquoise, victorian.

October is Halloween’s month – a time when all things scary, dark and a little bit weird are allowed to come out and play.

Victorian-era jewelry is fashioned from some uncommon design materials – hair, black enamel, coral and seed pearls – and utilizes  themes and motifs such as animals, flora and memory to a fetching end.

Whether it be coral grape cluster earrings, a black enameled locket or a ruby-set snake ring – draping yourself in Victorian jewelry is so much better than wearing a Halloween costume.

Here are a few dark beauties that have me under a spell:

This Knights of Pythias Fob on a Hair Chain ($350) is indeed made from real hair.  Weaving hair jewelry became a popular drawing room pastime during the Victorian era.  As photographs weren’t common, or cheap, at the time, wearing someone’s hair on your person became a tangible substitute.

Knights of Pythias Hair Necklace

Made from calcareous skeltons of marine animals, otherwise known as coral, these  Coral Grape Cluster Earrings ($1500) are a great example of the popularity of coral jewelry during the Victorian era. Victorians loved coral, both because it was believed to posses the power to ward off evil and danger, and for its ease to work with – it also fills the perfect niche for designs calling for accents of leaves and flowers.

Coral Grape Cluster Earrings

It’s crazy that not even the delicate seed pearls of this Victorian Pearl and Enamel Locket ($1200) are its most beautiful design feature. The face is also decorated with fine lines of black enamel and a raised floral pattern that gives it a feeling both goth and romantic.

Victorian Pearl and Enamel Locket

After being a hit at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851, enameling was revivied in many forms during the 19th century. A fine example is this Black Trace Enamel Gold Bangle Bracelet ($985). For me, the design conjures aspects  of embellished 19th century architecture.

Black Trace Enamel Gold Bangle Bracelet

I will not repeat that snake line from Indiana Jones when describing snake jewelry ever, ever again. That said, I love snakes, as did the Victorians. While some may view them as slithery, and slightly creepy, I say yes, they are, and that is just their allure. This Ruby Set Snake Ring ($850) has slithered its way into my heart, and perhaps onto my hand?

Ruby Set Snake Ring

Tags: coral earrings, hair jewelry, Locket, snake ring, victorian.

There’s always tons of excitement in July – the long weekend of the 4th, music festivals, outdoor activities, beach excursions and long summer nights.

So, in the jewelry world, it’s only fitting that the stone of the month is the fiery ruby.

Among natural gems, only diamond is harder, one reason for the ruby’s popularity in a variety of jewelry styles.

In Victorian jewelry, rubies were set in the heads of snake rings; in Art Nouveau pieces, which are often nature-inspired, they were set to resemble the petals of flowers; and you’ll see rubies often in Retro jewelry, boldly set in yellow or rose gold

Below, a look back in time to where  (and how!) the ruby was worn:

Victorian Era

It’s widely circulated that Queen Victoria’s wedding band was a snake biting its own tail. Whether or not this factoid is true, we  may never know, but what I do know for sure is that there are tons of snake rings to be found (in a variety of styles) from the Victorian era.

They are often set with precious stones in their eyes or on top of their heads, and this particular one is set with a ruby, as well as a diamond and a sapphire.

Ruby, Diamond and Sapphire Snake Ring

There was a period of time during the Victorian era when jewelers were fixated on the design techniques of the Etruscans (ancient Romans). This 18k yellow gold necklace showcases both this design inspiration and beautiful old cut bezel set rubies.

Etruscan Revival Emerald & Ruby Necklace

Art Nouveau Era

Art Nouveau jewels are rife with organic shapes and motifs. A bright ruby (the color of flowers, fruits and other natural delicacies), only enhances this naturalistic beauty,  as seen with these two curvaceous Art Nouveau pieces.

Art Nouveau Enameled Lady Festoon Ruby & Diamond Necklace

Ruby & Diamond Art Nouveau Necklace

Retro Era

Due to the dearth of platinum and other jewelry materials during the Retro era (which spans World War II, from 1940 to 1950), jewelers used alternative metals  such as yellow and rose gold, and alternative stones such as citrines,  amethysts and, of course, rubies.

Their lack was our gain, because ruby jewelry from this era is always some of the boldest.

Retro Ruby Wire Frame Earrings

Diamond and Ruby Retro Flower Ring

Contemporary

With the Heirloom by Doyle & Doyle line, we take inspiration from the motifs and designs of some of our most favorite antique pieces and fashion them anew. A great example are these serpent earrings, accented with ruby drops.

Ruby Drop Serpent Earrings

With all these great examples, it should be easy (or very, very hard if you are indecisive like me!) to add a ruby jewel to your collection.

Tags: Art Nouveau, Earrings, Heirloom, Necklaces, Retro, Rings, Ruby, Snake, victorian.

People always comment how I’m lucky to work at Doyle & Doyle because I get to look at really gorgeous and amazing things all day. Why, yes, I do, and it is pretty nice.

The only thing is, I fall in love often, and then am left heartbroken (but uplifted?) when someone comes in, loves the piece that I love, and buys it. Right now, I’m in love with this Victorian Fluted Gold Necklace.

Victorian Fluted Fancy Link Chain, $2500

It’s fashioned from gold that has been ‘bloomed’, which means it has been dipped in an acid bath to produce the beautiful matte color that you see.

The Victorian era saw the onset of the Industrial Revolution, and some jewelry of the time was machine made. The links were most likely die stamped (which is what gives them that amazing texture), and the links themselves are hollow.

Although this piece is machine-made, as was popular during the Victorian era, manufactured Victorian jewelry still has a human influence, as the machines had to be supervised by an experienced jeweler. So, even machine-made jewelry from the Victorian era has that stamp of individuality that you don’t really see today.

But what I really love about this piece is that I’ve never seen anything like it before, in the store or anywhere else. That is what is particularly great about Victorian jewelry, and antique and estate jewelry in general – you see something new every day.

Tags: Necklace, victorian.

I love the Doyle & Doyle earrings featured in this beauty shoot from the May 2009 issue of Glamour magazine (with Miley Cyrus on the cover!)

The model is wearing our Taille d’Epargne Enamel Earrings. Taille d’Epargne was a an enameling method popular during the Victorian era, in which engraved lines in gold are filled in with enamel, without any variation in the depth of the lines.

Go here for more great examples of fine black enamel work. And check out the earrings below (too bad some lucky person already snapped them up!)

Glamour magazine, May 2009

Tags: Earrings, victorian.

Only a (lucky) thirteen more days until Valentine’s Day people!

We know this holiday can be full of expectations, so we’re showing off one of our most giftable jewels every day to ease your gift giving-related stress.

#13 – The Moonstone Lovebird Necklace. This piece is a part of the Heirloom Collection, and was inspired by a Victorian Lavalier Necklace we once had in the store. We love this necklace for both its meaning – lovebirds are the ultimate symbol of love, as they mate for life – and for its delicate beauty. The moonstone briolette is a sweet added touch, and we also have the necklace accented with either a  ruby or freshwater pearl drop. This piece is a staff favorite, and a great gift idea for your favorite girl.

Moonstone Lovebird Necklace, $295

Tags: Necklace, victorian.

I love gifts, and I just received a great new book full of photos of old jewelry.

Alison (who works here at Doyle & Doyle) was able to make it to the Toledo Museum of art to check out Radiant Ensemble: Jewelry from the Nancy & Gilbert Levine Collection. She said the exhibit was amazing and that anyone in Toledo should definitely make the trip.

Although I am not going to be there any time soon, Alison was nice enough to bring me back the catalogue, Fascination: British and Continental Jewelry 1785-1885.  The Levine Collection is very impressive in the breadth of the representation.  Although some of the photo quality is slightly disappointing, the descriptions of the individual pieces more than make up for it.  Not only are the materials fully described, but historical references are also provided.

The catalogue is full of useful and interesting information presented in an easy to digest form. It is a great resource to anyone interested in learning more about the styles and techniques of jewelry produced from 1785-1885, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Tags: cannetille, georgian, mourning, revival, victorian.