Fall Collection Preview
As some of you may (or may not) know, I am away from my homebase for this summer season and through most of October. I'm still able to fulfill and ship out orders of items that are currently listed in the shop with help from my team back home (aka my amazing mom), but I did acquire some really neat pieces just before I went on hiatus and didn't really have time to take proper pictures of each piece, write listings and descriptions, or properly price them out. Plus, I have a few more things on their way from UK auction houses that I still haven't seen yet in person. If you'd like to know why I'm on hiatus and why I couldn't bring my whole jewelry operation with me, you can read about it by checking out this Instagram post.
While I'm loving my time out here in the wilderness of the Tetons, I'm also super excited to get back to the world of antique jewelry on a more full-time basis. I was able to take some pictures of some pieces I'll be making available once I get back (both pieces I purchased for the shop and some personal collection releases) so I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of them now! Enjoy!
A gorgeous late Victorian articulated pendant/brooch set with rose cut diamonds, the central one being notably chonky (and sparkly, with well-preserved foiling).
And, now, I know I might get hate from certain corners of the antique jewelry collector community for this, but I did polish up this piece quite a bit. When I received it, it didn't just have a patina, but it had layers and layers of tarnish on it, to the point that it was solid black. I mean, it looked like it had spent the last two hundred years sitting in a Victorian coal mine. It just looked dirty, not aged, at least in my opinion, to the point that it completely detracted from the beauty and brilliance of the piece and just made it look dull. I'll include some pictures of the cleaning process below so you can see for yourself. I'm sure many of you would still prefer the blackened look, and that's totally understandable, but I just really didn't like how it made the piece look. I like to think that part of being stewards for these artifacts means restoring them to their former glory. I mean, that's why the whole profession of conservator exists, after all. We don't just let paintings (among other artifacts) crack, crumble, and yellow; we have professionals whose job it is to remove the yellowing varnish, study the original pigments, and rework the paints to restore items to how their original makers intended them to look. I don't see jewelry as being any different to that, given that it is an art form, after all.
Once again, the final product:
A beautiful Edwardian flower shaped old cut diamond necklace on a chain, a Georgian garnet pansy ring, and a 19th century French Perpignan garnet ring
The most mesmerizing Georgian ring featuring a purplish-pink unheated Burmese ruby set in hand-tooled 10 carat gold. The stone was just polished and its setting securely rebuilt thanks to Sako and his father over at Cicada Jewelry Design, Inc. Bottom pic is from before she got repaired.
An incredible Georgian emerald and diamond ring I recently got at the Spring NYC Antique Jewelry & Object Show from the lovely ladies of Spare Room Antiques. These emeralds are SO richly saturated in color, it's unbelievable. I seriously considered making it a part of my personal collection. It's going to be hard to part with this one...
A 'REGARD' ring from 1862. A personal collection release! I have a particular fondness for acrostic pieces, and this was my very first one, so I was hesitant about parting with this one, but I've acquired some others during my time as a collector, so I think I'm satisfied with my other 'REGARD' pieces and happy to pass this one on to the next collector.
Another personal collection release! Ugh, I love any marquise or navette-shaped ring. When I first began collecting, I remember wanting one of each color (a diamond, a ruby one, a sapphire one, and an emerald one). I thought it would be neat to eventually have a rainbow set, more or less. However, I find myself wearing my plain diamond navette rings more often than any others (and I don't yet have an emerald piece, and the sapphire/blue stone ones I've come across are also for sale, or just haven't been exactly what I've been looking for). I wore this one to my sister's wedding, so it is a bit sentimental, and for that reason, hard to part with. Also, it's just a truly stunning piece. But that's why I think it's important to pass her on. She's been in my care for a while, and I've loved wearing her, but she deserves to be shown off for the stunner that she is by someone who will wear her more often than I currently do.
This 18k gold star ring dates to 1919, though the individual components themselves are likely a bit older, as when I purchased it, the note that came with it said that it was created by combining a man's tie tack with a woman's wedding band. How sweet!
Another absolute prize I found at the end of the Spring 2026 NYCJAOS. I truly couldn't believe this stunner hadn't been snatched up yet. Late Victorian, roughly a carat total of OMC diamonds, and over 3 carats of Colombian emeralds. This one might have to be pried from my hands...
A gorgeous 18 carat gold "Spanish Lovers'" or "Betrothal" ring dating to late 18th century France, with floral, key and heart motifs. And, an unusually close up lover's eye ring from the estate of Iris Apfel! The latter I may keep, as a Lover's Eye piece has long been a personal collection "bucket list item," so to speak. The fact that it came from Iris Apfel's estate just adds to its rich history!
Another piece I picked up from the Spring NYCJAOS: A 14k rose gold ring with black enamel detail and a lyre motif on the shoulders, set with oval, peachy-pink champagne topaz, c. 1890
A Georgian pink tourmaline Halley's Comet stick pin accented by either rock crystal or paste stones. I've since had this little stick pin converted into a pendant!
Aggghhh, this is another one that I'm going to have to be talked out of keeping for myself. It's just so perfect. I love rose cuts, and this Georgian rose cut cluster ring is everything. Sigh
(Pictured here next to The Venus, which is currently available on my website)
Another personal collection release! Originally a brooch, I had the hinge on this sweet Victorian ruby crescent repaired once, but when a different part of the pin mechanism broke later on, I decided to just convert it to a pendant permanently and remove the brooch fittings.
A lovely, early Edwardian white gold necklace, featuring three sparkling old mine cut diamonds in this simple, yet elegant geometric piece.
A cute Victorian-era marquise paste ring with deeply saturated paste stones that I’ve dubbed “The Blue Lagoon”
I've actually been sitting on this incredible Edwardian sapphire pendant for a while; I just haven't gotten around to pricing it quite yet. I'm very excited to offer it though! Maybe, if I get on top of things (and since I was able to take plenty of pictures of this piece before I left), I may be able to offer this one early as a September special release since that's sapphire season...
Same story for this ring as for the Edwardian pendant above; I just have yet to get around to pricing and listing all the details.
I have a few other items that will be arriving, I just haven't gotten to take pictures of them myself yet! So, without further ado, here is this lovely Georgian white and yellow metal illusion set pendant (the illusion being diamonds, with the metal really just being cleverly cut to look like diamonds and trick the eye), with a central oval cut amethyst colored stone at its center (I have yet to test the stone myself to see whether its genuine amethyst or paste). The best image I have of it is this picture my mom sent me via text, so that will have to do for now:
I also have these incredible Georgian paste earrings that are currently in transit from a British auction (so the only image I have at the moment is from the auction house, but I'm excited to see them in person!)
