Do you have old jewelry illustrating how gemcutting and setting have advanced?

[Arkteia]

I made a photo of this old Bohemian garnet brooch for another thread, but thought it would be interesting to post it here. The stones (almandines) were rose-cut and set, sometimes using foil backing, sometimes not. This brooch, while certainly not a museum piece, is very interesting by its lopsided-ness as it shows the asymmetry of every stone. I especially like tiny stones set haphazardly to cover the “holes”. Sometimes it is impossible to say whether a piece is missing, or “it was meant to be”.

I have an old bracelet with milgrain made, it seems, by a saw. These pieces always remind me of the difficult work that the jewelers and gemcutters had to do. It is still difficult, but the industry has advanced.

Do you have such pieces, and would you be interested to post them?

 

[OoohShiny]

This sounds like a thread that @diagem would be interested in lol

 

[Bluegemz]

I love the charm of the old cuts and imperfect, hand made settings. There is an undeniable life to them. I have a few such old pieces, but since you started with garnets, I’ll add in mine. The earrings are made of very deep red, pyrope garnets. They are puffy, like pomegranate seeds and truly remind me of blood. My pictures are never very good, and I struggle to capture them in pics. The brooch pendant is a mix of red, purple and orange garnets, but somehow the colors meld together when viewed face up.

I also can share this very imperfect aquamarine and white gold necklace. The my paternal grandmother loved jewelry making and design, and started making it in her teens. This aqua and white gold necklace was one of her first pieces, made at 16-17. She hand made the chain as well. and saved up for stones and metal. It has wonky cut stones, ( especially the center aqua) and generally shows wear. Many of the little pearls have fallen off, (someday I’ll restore it so that it will be in pass down shape). When worn, it has an old world feeling and a lovely glamor. I’ve gotten many compliments on it. She gave it to me when I was 11.

 

[Arkteia]

@Bluegemz , for someone that young, your grandmother made a great job! This is what I am talking about, this gorgeously imperfect milgrain, the old glamor, the patina of time. I like old aquas. She had taste, too, your grandmother, these tiny pearls are so beautiful.

As to the garnets, I know what you mean, I have seen old Bohemian garnets in Czech museums. If the head of the modern "Turnow" company is to be believed, they were more almandines than pyropes, but they glow like spessartines. I saw one brooch in a museum, it was so poorly cut, the stones were almost spindle-like, and the polish was horrible, but the brooch had this mysterious, red-orange, deep glow.

The necklace is simply gorgeous.

 

[Bluegemz]

@Bluegemz , for someone that young, your grandmother made a great job! This is what I am talking about, this gorgeously imperfect milgrain, the old glamor, the patina of time. I like old aquas. She had taste, too, your grandmother, these tiny pearls are so beautiful.

As to the garnets, I know what you mean, I have seen old Bohemian garnets in Czech museums. If the head of the modern "Turnow" company is to be believed, they were more almandines than pyropes, but they glow like spessartines. I saw one brooch in a museum, it was so poorly cut, the stones were almost spindle-like, and the polish was horrible, but the brooch had this mysterious, red-orange, deep glow.

The necklace is simply gorgeous.

She would have been pleased to hear your kind words about her necklace! I believe she might have actually been 17-18, ( memory is not exact) but she had just decided to go to an art and design school to study jewelry making.

Re the garnets, it is so interesting about the glow of these pieces, undulating, dark and mysterious. I can take a picture of the brooch later with back light, to demonstrate all of various colors...

 

[Arkteia]

She would have been pleased to hear your kind words about her necklace! I believe she might have actually been 17-18, ( memory is not exact) but she had just decided to go to an art and design school to study jewelry making.

Re the garnets, it is so interesting about the glow of these pieces, undulating, dark and mysterious. I can take a picture of the brooch later with back light, to demonstrate all of various colors...

Do, please! It will be so interesting!

 

[Bluegemz]

Ok here it is! Can’t find my torch light, so this is with gentle light. Orange, purple and red colors. The little ones on the outside aren’t exposed in the back, and they really look red, though my pictures are not so good.

 

[Arkteia]

This is so beautiful, the central one is so purple!

Interesting. So Bohemian garnets might have included different types of garnets?

 

[Sunstorm]

Just adore that aqua necklace! Simply stunning and what provenance it has!

 

[Bluegemz]

This is so beautiful, the central one is so purple!

Interesting. So Bohemian garnets might have included different types of garnets?

I imagine that’s the case. Either that or garnets each show a unique mix of species in them, so that within one type, there are many variations. Thank you for the compliment!

 

[Bluegemz]

Just adore that aqua necklace! Simply stunning and what provenance it has!

Thank you so much. I loved wearing this necklace in my 20’s in College. It had just the right length and brought glamor to jeans and a school wardrobe!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Really interesting thread. Both @Bluegemz and @Arkteia have truly interesting examples. Great photo skills too, I can see the cuts in the stones.