Back from my Spring Sourcing trip with a big pile of vintage and antique finds. Feel free to follow along on instagram! New listings coming every week for the foreseeable future.
ABOUT:
One of my biggest purchases from the trip and wow is this guy fabulous. The texture of those chunky old cut diamonds propping out of this snake head! I count 26 in all totaling somewhere around 1.5 carats. I love chunk old cuts like these that crop out and provide a cobblestone texture - the diamonds are a mix of old mine and rose cuts.
The 3D face rising up against the coiled body... The ruby eyes.... his little smile... The large and more uncommon pear shaped rose cut on the center of his head. So many things to love!
All coming together in an impactful figural piece where the tail swirls around behind the neck of the snake, wrapping him around your finger. When the snake head faces up, the piece has a nice flat bottom edge making him a fun one to layer as well but he's certainly impactful to wear alone as well.
The diamonds are all old hand chiseled, free form in nature so exact carat weight is difficult to determine but estimates to around
In ancient times, snakes represented the duality of good and evil, as well as being symbols of death and rebirth or immortality, transformation and healing, and even fertility. This motif was highly popularized by Queen Victoria who received a piece from Prince Albert who designed it after the Roman belief that the intertwined snake represented eternal and everlasting love. This design remained popular through the Victorian era and into the Art Nouveau period.
No hallmarks remain but sold to me as 18k gold and tested to confirm. Found in the UK on my recent sourcing trip.
Antique box not included. Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and the pictures can make it difficult to see scale.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
Size 9 1/4, should be sizable at the back of the shank without affecting the head as it faintly appears to have been sized once before. Always good to check with your local jeweler though to determine their comfort level.
The piece weighs 4.1 grams. The head and band at the ring face is 11.2mm north south. It is 5.8mm tall off the finger to the top of the head.
I count 26 diamonds. The largest pear is about 4.9x3.6mm and about .3 carat alone. The other four larger old mine cuts are 2.9 to 3.1mm each, kinda making a diamond shape around the biggest pear old mine cut diamond and adding about half a carat. These largest stones cut with extra lofty crowns. The others are a mix of old mine and rose cuts from 1.5 to 2.5mm each. Loosely around 1.5 carat total weight, this is an estimate as I wouldn't remove the stones for exact measurements and cuts and depths vary.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
Sturdy shank, the stones all appear well held in multiple bead prongs adding to the texture of the ring face. Still I always recommend gentler wear on my antique pieces with so many smaller stones.
Some of the diamonds are eye clean, but most are typical for the period with some frosty specks and flecks. The pear diamond has a teeny tiny smattering of carbon not eye visible but some needle inclusions that can catch the light. Varying hues with a slight warmth typical, also contributed by the extra chunky cuts which reflect the light so differently to give it that crustily encrusted texture. Quite glittery of course, lots of fun to wear. Some nicks to the rubies but again the stones are small so this is not glaring.
Please also 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 : )
Box#dmsc.$62
