Bring your auction to collectors worldwide!
Get listed nowBy subscribing, you are agreeing to the privacy policy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Jewellery & Gems / Antique Rococo Diamond Ring in Gold and Silver, c. 1760 & Later
It is a mild spring evening in Potsdam. Music drifts into the park through the open windows of Sanssouci Palace. Among the bosquets, ladies in silk gowns and gentlemen in powdered wigs stroll. People speak French, philosophize about Voltaire, and admire the newly landscaped gardens of Frederick the Great. In the evening, at the candlelit banquet, precious diamonds sparkle on the hands of the court society—brought from distant India to Prussia to adorn the privileged upper class who can afford such luxury. This delicate ring transports us to that very world. With its curved lines, delicate shell-like shapes, and magnificent, hand-faceted diamonds arranged in a deliberately asymmetrical pattern, the ring captures the playful spirit of the Rococo in gold and silver. The ring was crafted in the mid-18th century, possibly in Berlin or Potsdam, as it came to us from the estate of an old Berlin family. Its design is defined by the characteristic C-curves of the Rococo style, whose flowing lines seem to unfold freely across the ring face. Fine diamonds in historic table cuts follow the ornamental arches and are set in silver, while the supporting structure is made of gold. This combination of materials was the preferred method of setting diamonds in the 18th century, as the bright silver allowed their brilliance to shine particularly impressively. Two larger diamonds in an early antique cut are set on one side of the ring face. The large center stone, as well as the two old-cut diamonds set above it, were added to the ring c. 1900, possibly to replace lost stones. We encounter such alterations time and again in historical pieces of jewellery; they tell the story of the piece’s long history and the esteem in which it was held. Apparently, the ring was so precious to its owner that it was not melted down, but instead fitted with a contemporary diamond, thus preserving it for another generation. It is precisely this continued use over the centuries that gives the piece of jewellery its special charm: It is not only a precious testament to Rococo court goldsmithing, but also a silent companion to many generations. Today, it offers us a rare glimpse into that elegant world of the 18th century, where art, fashion, and a certain art of living merged into a lightness of being that remains inextricably linked to the era of Frederick the Great to this day.
Estimate:£2,030.13
Sold for:-
View all items fromHofer AntikschmuckorJewellery & Gems
Hammer price:
-
Estimate:
£2,030.13
OCT 23 | 8:00 AM
OCT 27 | 4:00 PM
Bring your auction to collectors worldwide!
Get listed now£120
Est: £100
£1,350
OCT 17 | 10:00 PM
