Unique Jewelry Facts

The jewelry industry is an intricate one, filled with facts that are commonly understood…a “k” represents “karat” when the topic is gold. The three Cs, when diamonds are the topic, represent color, cut and clarity. There are many more of these general tidbits that we pick up along the way, but there is an entire universe of fascinating jewelry history, mostly undiscovered. For this week’s blog we’re happy to relay some of the great jewelry facts shared with us by Elyse Zorn Karlin of the Association of Jewelry and the Related Arts.

Scottish Agage jewelry (popular in the Victorian period) is not usually hallmarked except sometimes with a date letter. The earlier pieces are likely to have traditional Scottish motifs, while later pieces can include non-Scottish sentimental designs including hearts, anchors and arrows.

The straightline diamond bracelet known at the “tennis bracelet”, received its name from noted tennis player Chris Everett. She wore one when she played in tournaments and once stopped play while she was looking for her missing bracelet.

There are a number of forms of silver used in jewelry and silver objects:

Sterling silver is .925 pur silver. It is mixed with copper to give it strength. The term indicates the highest quality of silver used in jewelry. In the United States a piece will be marked “sterling” while in England a lion or leopard is stamped into the piece.

Silverplate is a method used to electroplate silver or gold to a base metal.
Using electricity, a very thin coat of the precious metal adheres to the base metal.

Vermeil is another name for silver gilt. Orginally this process utilized mercury to coat items of silver with a coat of gold. When it was discovered that workers involved with this process were going blind the practice was abandoned. In the 1950s Tiffany & Co. developed a modern technique to make vermeil.

Coin Silver is marked .900 which means it is 90 percent silver and 10 percent some other metal. This was at one point in time the standard for silver coins.

German silver is not really silver at all but a combination of nickel, copper and zinc. It is also known as gunmetal or nickel silver. A piece marked E.P.N.S. is nickel silver which has been silver-plated.

Eye Miniatures

When George IV of England was still the Prince of Wales, he fell in love with the beautiful widow Maria Fitzherbert. She was not deemed a suitable match for the heir to the throne so he married her in secret. In order to have a bit of his love with him at all times he had a portrait of her eye made which he wore, and in doing so, set off a craze. His father eventually married him to a princess he detested. Within a few years he divorced her and went back to Maria. Although they did not end their days together, it is said he wore the brooch until the end of his life.

George III, George IV is the man who lost the English colony…America!

Georgian Eye Jewelry today is highly collectible…but beware…there are fakes on the market!

Stras

The term “stras” is still heard today to refer to jewelry created from glass and made to simulate genuine stones. It refers to Georges Frederic Stras, a gemcutter and setter who lived in the 18th century and was known for his work with colorless glass paste jewelry.

Stras learned his trade by apprenticing to a goldsmith in of all places, Strasbourg, France. At age 23 he moved to Paris to work for a jewelry firm.
His work with fine glass stones from England and Bohemia earned him the notice of other Parisian jewelers. He became known for his cutting and setting of paste into fabulous imitation jewelry which he marked with his initials and a crowned sword.

Later in his life he worked with fine stones.

Napoleonic Conspiracy Ring

The Napoleonic Conspiracy RIng was a finger ring made for those who helped plan the escape of Napoleon from the island of Elba in 1815. The ring contained a hinged bezel forming a locket. In the inside of the locket a head of Napoleon is depicted in gold relief. The cover has three flowers enamelled in a wreath on it. It is said that only six of these rings were made.

Don’t forget, ASJRA’s annual jewelry conferene is coming up! Saturday, May 15th “One More Time: Jewelry Fakes, Revivals, Recycling and Reproductions” For more information, or to attend, visit www.jewelryconference.com or visit www.asjra.com.