Victoria's Reign - Victorian English 18K Gold Almandine Garnet & Natural Pearl Ring (VICR171)

Victoria's Reign - Victorian English 18K Gold Almandine Garnet & Natural Pearl Ring.  This gorgeous ring is crafted from 18K gold, hallmarked 750 and 18CT. Featuring one natural modified emerald cut  faceted almandine garnet, 6 natural pearls, Victorian era styling and quality craftsmanship.  The expertly claw-set garnet is red in colour, displaying a beautiful purplish pink hue.  The gorgeous gem is flanked by 6 natural pearls , cream coloured with silvery grey overtones, The shoulders on the ring feature exquisite carved-gold work, leading down to a tapered smooth polished shank.  This ring looks stunning when worn, truly a feminine elegant ring made during the Reign of Queen Victoria. 

Comments: Contemporary Appraisals do not reflect the value of antique jewelry.  It is recommended that this ring be insured for $1800.00 (Tax Excluded)  

The history of garnet dates back to the Bronze Age, more than 5000 years ago. Its name, which has been used since these ancient times, was derived from the Latin word granatium, which means pomegranate (because the small, red crystals were thought to resemble pomegranate seeds).

Gold has always had value to humans, even before it was money. This is demonstrated by the extraordinary efforts made to obtain it. Prospecting for gold was a worldwide effort going back thousands of years, even before the first money in the form of gold coins appeared about 700 B.C.

Traditionally, Garnet (together with Rubies and Spinels) was classified as a carbuncle or any blood-red, cabochon-cut gems. Almandine is the oldest Garnet known to man. Ancient Egyptians used Almandine in jewelry as early as 3,500 BCE.

Pearls were presented as gifts to Chinese royalty as early as 2300 BC, while in ancient Rome, pearl jewellery was considered the ultimate status symbol. So precious were the spherical gems that in the 1st century BC, Julius Caesar passed a law limiting the wearing of pearls only to the ruling classes.  According to legend, Cleopatra crushed a pearl into a glass of wine to prove to Marc Antony that she could give the most expensive dinner in history. 

In the history of the United Kingdom, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian period, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the Belle Époque era of Continental Europe.

Measurements: Face of the Ring 15.50 mm x 9.00 mm 

Stone Size: Garnet 1.00 carat    Pearl 3.00 mm each 

Weight: 2.20 grams 

Ring Size: 6 1/4

Condition: Excellent 

Origin: England 

Date: Circa 1860