The jewelry that was produced by Henry Birks and Sons has always been admired for its high quality and lavish luxury. The company’s designers never neglected the classical dazzle of the diamond for any other types of precious stones and made the brand renowned for its outstanding brilliant jewelry. The designs of the platinum, white and yellow gold diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and pendants have always had a classical form with the gemstones being the centerpieces of each item focusing the attention on their perfection and unmistakable sparkle.
Read the full story »Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco antique jewelry.
Boxes, trunks, coffers and caskets of and influenced by the Art Nouveau period.
Antiques and collectibles from the Georgian era.
English silver hall marks and maker marks.
A small jewel hanging by a narrow ribbon, so arranged that the ornament comes in the middle of the forehead. So called from the picture in The Louvre
That platinum does not oxidize is one of the primary reasons that antique platinum rings, brooches and other platinum jewelry is so sought after. That, and its resistance to wear, permit antique platinum jewelry to be brought back to life with a good cleaning and polishing, giving the antique jewelry a brilliant look, likely how it originally looked over 100 years ago.
Jacob Wemmers Hoppestein (1661) At the sign of The Old Moor’s Head. He seems to have carried out at this factory the excellent work begun by his predecessor Abraham de Kooge, and the produce of this factory had a high reputation. It consisted generally of blue decorative centers representing episodes from Roman history, surrounded by coloured borders.
With Louis Cartier coming in to charge of the workshop, his innovative and masterful jewelry making techniques and designs changed the ideas of decorative arts and fashion forever. He drew his inspiration from the different trends in art and design and his jewelry work reflected adequately the moods of the epoch, but at the same time he successfully utilized the classical designs created by his prominent forefathers.
Most of the early Empire jewellery is made on the flat. There is little relief or modelling. It has the appearance of having been cut with scissors out of the sheet and stuck together in the required form. There was a certain carefulness about the execution but no imagination about the designs, for the ornaments of this time usually consist of groups of certain stereotyped details …
Cellini’s Memoirs shows the use damascening was put to in Renaissance times.
Various Potters Marks of Dutch Delft potters from 1584 to 1648.
Irish silver offers some complications in regard to its markings, and it is especially interesting in its character.
Dublin is the centre of the silversmiths’ work in Ireland, and officially the Dublin Goldsmiths’ Company holds …
Gold. This beautiful metal always has been the one most used for jewellery, partly because of its rich appearance, partly because it is very easily worked, and also because it does not tarnish.
… the Renaissance was a cultural movement that began in Florence in the Late Middle Ages, eventually spreading throughout Europe.
