#7503 Bow and snake brooch.
Now that the end-of-the-world has come and gone, we can get back to the really important things
in life: Valentine's Day is right around the corner and that reminds me of how marvelously sentimental our
predecessors were. They were ever so romantic and these sentiments were beautifully expressed in a wide variety of
jewelry. When we buy an antique jewel, we should remember it's original purpose, which makes our owning it so much more
fun and fulfilling.
The classic symbol of romance and affection is, of course, the heart - still used as St Valentine's biggest logo. What a
variety of antique jewels pertain to this subject! Pierced hearts, flaming hearts, arrows through hearts (and sometimes,
just arrows), hearts and doves.
Today, I received a long-awaited pair of antique cufflinks: how cute is this? Nothing says it better than the rich gold
color of these stylish jewels.
#5240. Romantic heart cufflinks.
The Victorians were tops at alluding to anything and everything via symbols. While outwardly conforming to strict moral
standards, hardly a gentleman of the era was without at least one mistress and what does that say about the ladies?
Particular gemstones were quite clear in their meaning - for example, a turquoise flower studded with a ruby center,
meant the forget-me-not, with it's clear message. The fun-loving Victorians were masters at acrostic jewelry -
when the first letter of each gem spelled out a word eg DEAREST depicted by diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald,
sapphire and topaz. How exciting to receive an anonymous gift with such a romantic message! One of the most famous
bracelets given as a gift was from Napoleon Bonaparte, a huge jewelry giver to his wives and sisters, spelling out
his name with the initials of each valuable gemstone.
#4957 Ring spelling the word REGARD (Ruby Emerald Garnet Amethyst Ruby Diamond) Regard acrostic ring.
The locket is an antique device, still useful today to hold the picture of a beloved. Before the advent of the camera,
each picture had to be hand-painted, but today, the locket can easily accommodate a 'photo of your beloved.
A beautifully worded inscription adds to the romance. Many antique jewels were inscribed with sentiments in French,
always the language of love, but 'love will last forever' is no less moving. Lockets were and are, worn on chains,
but often bangles contained lockets and sometimes, even rings had tiny portraits painted with or without a cover.
#5034 Bangle opens to reveal your portrait. Locket bangle bracelet.
One of the most romantic rings I have seen is this little Georgian ring, poignantly depicting a heart below a crown.
I love when men put their women on a pedestal.
#7230
Finally, my own personal favorite is antique and vintage snake jewelry. The snake was seen, amongst other things, as
a symbol of eternity and therefore, of eternal love. In fact, Queen Victoria's engagement ring from Prince Albert was a
snake ring.
#7421 intertwined snake ring. Double symbol of mutual, eternal love.
Questions and comments: Please email antiques@brendaginsberg.com
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