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My latest peculiar purchase

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glitterata

glitterata

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
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I bought this on ebay and am waiting for it to arrive. It''s a ring made from a 19th century 18K gold stick pin shaped like an eagle''s talon holding a small old mine cut pear diamond. The seller thought it was probably about a third of a carat. Its weirdness appealed to me. Does anybody else like it?

Too bad Ana''s not around, I know she shares my appreciation for the old and the strange.

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I think it''s really cool!!!
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Thanks, Kaleigh!

I bet most of the people looking at this are thinking I should post it on the "ugly rings" thread. I''m glad at least one person sees what I liked about it.
 
Well, I''m here...and I like it! What a pretty little diamond!

The minute I saw this thread I rushed over. I''m a fan of yours, Glitterata, and your wonderful collection.

A worthy addition!

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I''ve always liked unusual things... even those that may otherwise be nominated for the "ugly thread". Thumbs up from me!
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I love the old world look of that OMC pear - anything you could dig up on the meaning of such a design, with the eagle claw?
 
Right back atcha, Widget--your collection is the ideal at which mine gazes up from far below.

FireGoddess, I don''t know what the significance of the eagle claw is, but I''m sure it has one! Those Victorians were mad for symbolism. I do know that it was originally a man''s tie pin. Perhaps there''s some reference to the Greek/Roman god Zeus/Jupiter--the eagle is his symbol.
 
While I'm posting new Victorian oddities, here's a brooch I recently bought at a flea market. It's silver, set with tiny seed pearls. I believe the word is Spanish for remembrance or souvenir. It's from the 1870s-1880s; not sure where it was made, but probably somewhere Spanish-speaking. You can't quite tell from this picture, but the little bird and flower are attached at an angle, giving it a fun 3D look.

There's definitely some symbolism going on here too. I think the bird is a swallow, for fidelity, and the flowers are forget-me-nots. But I could be making that part up.

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Wow - I love that pin! What a fun find. It doesn''t look like it comes from such a long ago time!
 
Here's another view where you can see the pearls better. The bird's eye is either garnet or glass.

I guess I should be posting this in Jewelry rather than RockyTalky, since there are no diamonds in this brooch. Sorry, Leonid & Irina!

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No biggie glitterata, i love your collection especially silver-gray spinel ring.
Don''t you think this pear is rose cut?
 
Yes, it's quite possible the pear is rose cut. The seller called it old mine cut, but it's hard to tell from the picture, and it hasn't arrived yet. That would be fun--I have a small OMC, but no antique rose cuts yet, so that would make a good addition to my collection.

(Actually, I haven't set the silver-gray spinel in the setting yet, since it's a bypass setting that needs two stones, and I haven't found a good match to put with it. I may save the spinel for another setting and put a pair of blue zircons in that bypass setting.)
 
It would be fun to see what you do with that spinel, it''s gorgeous.
 
HI:

You always find the coolest stuff G--and this is no exception.
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cheers--Sharon
 
Cool piece. It looks French, with a pearshaped OMC (it's not a rose cut) which would date it probably between 1860 to 1880, with the diamond coming most likely from the South American mines of that era, with a smaller chance of coming from the Indian mines. It's definitely too early to have come from the South African mines.

It would be neat to see if it's a type 2A diamond. Type 2A would indicate probable Indian mine origin (Golconda) versus South American.

Check to see if the diamond looks exceptionally white when you get it.
 
ooooh that ring is kinda funky. I kinda like the talon part holding the diamond. but the other part of the talon kinda reminds me too much of cut off animal parts.. oy... (sorry if I gross anyone out, I used to work w/animals in a lab and am scarred for life... )

I LOVE that pin though.... I wish I had more time to scour flea markets!!!

bah, who am I kidding.... I never wake up early enough to go and get the cool stuff... hehe.
 
glitterata, I love
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your collection. You have the most interesting and beautiful stuff. I''m so glad you''re sharing it with us.
 
love em both.
A tie tack like that eagle claw would be right up my alley.
 
Thanks for the kind words!

Storm, I''ll keep an eye out for another one for you...but don''t hold your breath.

Richard, how romantic if it turns out to be from Golconda! I''ll definitely take a good look at the color--though I''m certainly no diamond grader. What makes you think it might be French?
 
wow, I love them both!
you have a great eye!
 
Date: 6/2/2006 12:15:23 AM
Author: Richard Sherwood
Cool piece. It looks French, with a pearshaped OMC (it''s not a rose cut) which would date it probably between 1860 to 1880, with the diamond coming most likely from the South American mines of that era, with a smaller chance of coming from the Indian mines. It''s definitely too early to have come from the South African mines.

It would be neat to see if it''s a type 2A diamond. Type 2A would indicate probable Indian mine origin (Golconda) versus South American.

Check to see if the diamond looks exceptionally white when you get it.
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Rich, you never stop to amaze me with your knowledge. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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Date: 6/2/2006 10:30:15 PM
Author: Pricescope

Date: 6/2/2006 12:15:23 AM
Author: Richard Sherwood
Cool piece. It looks French, with a pearshaped OMC (it''s not a rose cut) which would date it probably between 1860 to 1880, with the diamond coming most likely from the South American mines of that era, with a smaller chance of coming from the Indian mines. It''s definitely too early to have come from the South African mines.

It would be neat to see if it''s a type 2A diamond. Type 2A would indicate probable Indian mine origin (Golconda) versus South American.

Check to see if the diamond looks exceptionally white when you get it.
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Rich, you never stop to amaze me with your knowledge. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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Ditto. Richard is a real treasure on PS and has taught me a lot.
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Well, the eagle ring is here! It''s fully as weird and fascinating as I hoped it would be.
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My husband took a look at my hand and pushed it away with a shudder.

Rich is right, of course. The diamond is definitely an old mine cut pear, deep and lumpy, with a small table and a big culet. The sun has gone down, so I can''t tell much about the color. All I can say at the moment is that under a flourescent lightbulb, it looks somewhere in between my F and my L. I''ll look again in the daylight, but I don''t have great confidence in my color-grading ability anyway, especially given the yellow gold setting.

I checked with a little keychain blacklight and didn''t find any fluorescence. The pear is pretty clear looking, with one prominent feather near the culet, easily visible through a loupe from above. There''s also a big chip or natural (how do I tell the difference?) at the point, under a prong (claw), and several smaller chips and/or naturals here and there around the girdle, so I''m guessing it''s an I1 at best. My uninformed eyeball estimate puts it at .20-.30 cts.

Rich, did the French eagle claw have anything to do with Napoleon III? That would be during the right period (1852-70).
 
I think it is WAY cool!

Great find!

Good taste!
 
way cool. picture?
 
Date: 6/2/2006 10:30:15 PM
Author: Pricescope
Rich, you never stop to amaze me with your knowledge. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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Click to expand...

No problem, my pleasure. I find it fun and good therapy for me.

I''ve learned as much as I''ve shared on Pricescope.
 
Date: 6/2/2006 11:56:29 PM
Author: glitterata

Rich, did the French eagle claw have anything to do with Napoleon III? That would be during the right period (1852-70).
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Well I can see there's no grass growing on you, girl.

Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte (I) adopted the eagle into his coat-of-arms, symbolic of military victory. He then incorporated the symbol throughout the military and civil realm. At the time of Napoleon III, the eagle was the symbol representing the French Empire.

If the ring is a little too "strong" for you, perhaps you might consider making it into a pendant, or a "fob" on your keychain.
 
Oh, no, I love it as a ring! The "stronger" the better, I say.

Pictures later, I promise...
 
Glitterata, those are both really fun, funky pieces!!! I"ve never seen an OMC pear before...let us know what else you find out about it!!

And that brooch is very sweet--literally translated it means "I remember." Lovely!!
 
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