This charming gold and silver ring is shaped like a tiny flower basket and studded with rose-cut diamonds. Traditionally, rose-cut diamonds were set in silver to optimise their colour and brilliance, while the gold shank and back added sturdiness and prevented the silver from potentially staining your clothing or skin.
Rings shaped like tiny flower baskets became popular in the 18th Century and were known as 'Giardinetti', which means tiny garden in Italian. This trend is believed to have brought to Paris by Venetian goldsmiths, hence the Italian name.
It is a remnant of a major trend in the second half of the 18th Century when ladies and gentlemen would gift each other tiny flower jewellery as a token of friendship and devotion. This later example is clearly a nod to 18th-century designs.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: US 9.5, UK P, T circumference 61 mm.
The silver setting measures 14 x 17 mm.
This ring could be resized if desired.
Weight: 2.70 grams
Age: Early 20th Century, circa 1900.
Material: marked '18k' and acid tested as 18k gold and silver.
Condition: In great antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with age.
Read more about how to take care of rose-cut diamond jewellery here.
Please note that the