ABOUT:
I've seen two of these in my life and never thought I'd have the chance to acquire one so I was super excited when I found this one in Italy on my last sourcing trip. I look at thousands of pieces of antique jewelry every day and these just don't come up very often.
At first glance, it looks like a pretty antique ring, but upon closer inspection you can see that the ring face is a clasp the opens to unravel the shank to wear also as a bracelet. The shank of the ring is made of multiple little hoops that are hinged together and decorated with little etched details. So cool that when you extend it end to end, you can clasp the ring face again but this time around the wrist. This one is truly more than meets the eye!
(Insert mind blown emoji here.)
This one is crafted in 9k Gold, hallmarked on the tongue insert. At the face of the ring / clasp is a sort of applied silver bow detail with sapphire at the center in a contrasting gold bezel and little rubies on the bow to add additional color.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Antique box is not included.
MEASUREMENTS:
It's about a size 7, measuring the really wide multi hoop shank at the center on a mandrel. When transformed to a bracelet, it is about 7 1/4 inches in length, not including the tongue insert which nests into the clasp and does not add length. When I measure it on the higher part of my arm though it seems to wear around a size 7.
The bracelets circular hoops are 20mm north south on the wrist. The ring face is 16x13mm.
It weighs 9.6 grams.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
I do of course recommend gentle wear as we are talking about 100+ year old gold pieces with movable parts and hinges so it does need a gentle hand. It is more stable and sturdy when stacked up to be worn as a ring, as the hoops are bit delicate to really wear in a bracelet stack heavily. This is more of a collectors piece. Some small nicks to the stones. There is some verdigris around the silver either from using lower grade silver (Europe does not use a "sterling .925" standard like we do and often use more alloys) or it may be from the solder aging that assembled the components during the piece's original fabrication.
Note that when it is off the finger, it is possible to open it to a bracelet without opening the clasp. Once on the hand of course the piece stays held together but it accordions out when off the hand. But the clasp is of course still necessary to be able to open it end to end to put on the wrist. The tongue insert does hold well despite not being super "clicky" it does not open on its own. Some of the hinges connecting the hoops do wobble a bit. And some of the hoops are slightly out of round, most notably one on the clasp side so the ring face lists just slightly.
I have additional photos/video on my website besides those allowed here so feel free to request additional.
Please also note that I take some photos in the sunshine to highlight the color but this can also magnify any surface wear, inclusions etc. more than what is seen with normal day to day wear.
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : )
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )
SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews! And check out my website www.MousesHouseAntiques.com as I can add more pics there so you can get extra looks : )
All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).
Many of my listings include group shots – I find the comparisons between pieces help show scale, diamond hues, etc. All items in group shots are inventory, but refer to the website to see what items have sold out and to watch for new listings from the grouping to appear on the home page.
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