A Brandt and Son Archives

Ring roundup: antique snake rings.

September 21, 2015

I’ve been on a snake kick lately and I know I’m not the only one. Finding the antique snake ring of my dreams at the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show has done nothing to dampen my serpentine enthusiasm. They’re so lovely to look at, sinuous and sensual and always slightly mysterious.

They’re also rife with symbolic meaning. Did you know that Queen Victoria’s engagement ring was a snake ring set with an emerald? It represents eternity and everlasting love. Especially the ouroboros, the symbol of a snake that’s eating its own tail.

Let’s kick things off with this hefty antique beauty from Antique Animal Jewelry.

This one’s Victorian and it’s perfectly luscious. The scale detail, the chunky diamond head, the swirling body of the snake as it twines around the finger. Delicious.

What’s incredible about this 1930’s Art Deco triple snake ring from Maejean Vintage is that it’s actually sterling silver and gold fill – so as gorgeous and pristine as this badass beauty is, it would only set you back $185. I especially love the mixed metal design and the snakes’ tiny pearl eyes.

And then there’s this regal showstopper from Lang Antiques.

It’s Victorian, and fit for a queen. As much as I love this richly-hued sapphire, it’s the negative space around the snakes’ delicately twining bodies that slays me about this piece. I could trace those curves with my eyes all day.

This one is actually a vintage rather than an antique snake ring. not antique – it’s the youngest ring here, dating to the 1970’s.

But anyway: this particular beauty is from A Brandt and Son and the gorgeous detailing you’re drooling over is black and white enamel over gold. I swoon for its bold juxtaposition of colors and slightly open mouth.

My newest snake ring has a turquoise-set head, and I’m obsessed with it. This one from Addy’s Vintage is very different, but I love its warm yellow gold and robin’s egg blue turquoise stone. It’s a little later than some of these, circa 1910. So delicate and swirly.

And last but certainty not least: this elegant Art Nouveau beauty from The Eden Collective. Look at how delicately that snake is curled around its large, baroque pearl. Beautiful.

This guy from Erie Canal Collectors also vintage rather than antique – from the 1960’s. It’s possible that I should have called this article “Ring roundup: snake rings I feel like showing you and CATEGORIES BE DAMNED.”

This one’s cool though, isn’t it? I love those lines.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed them! Do I have any other snake ring fanatics reading this?

Please click on the links above for image sources and seller information on each antique snake ring.

Ring roundup: antique figural rings.

May 15, 2015

It’s been a while since we had a good old fashioned Ring Roundup!

Today’s has a simple theme: these glorious rings are all figural in some way – by which I mean that they’re shaped like something, either human or animal. (This was an accidental theme – it wasn’t until after I chose the first three that I realized I was feeling figural.)

This Victorian mother-of-pearl ring dates to 1880 and is shaped like a turtle. A turtle!! It was originally a stick pin, but has since been converted. The setting is 18k yellow with a split shank design and the turtle is set with rose-cut diamonds. I dare you not to love this one.

This figural Art Nouveau signet ring kills me. The first several times I looked at it, I was sure that the two figures holding the central shield on their elbows were mermaids. I think they might actually just be ladies standing in decorative swirls, but I prefer to think of mermaids so as mermaids I shall think of them. How’s that for a sentence?

What blows my mind about this one is that it’s blank. Who could ever own such a fantastic signet ring and not have it engraved?? Maybe it was never purchased.

This charismatic little ring is an Art Nouveau cameo ring formed from a carved moonstone face surrounded with rubies. Isn’t it interesting? It reminds me of ghosts or the moon, but I mean both of those in a very positive way.

I’ve never seen anything quite like this Art Deco ring before. It reflects the Egyptian Revival style, the result of the 1920’s obsession with ancient Egypt. This ring has a glorious split shank design in 18k gold which supports the most magnificent headdress-wearing figure rendered in gold gemstones. My favorite part is those luscious ruby drop earrings that the figure in the ring is wearing.

This ring is much more adorable than I generally expect skulls to be. It features a Victorian carved ivory skull charm set with modern diamond eyes. I love the way the skull charm is attached to the ring shank in a way that allows it to move around. What an interesting way to re-purpose an antique finding.

(Please note that I may have stretched the interpretation of “figural” a tiiiiiiny bit in using it to describe all of these selections.)

These glorious antique rings are all for sale by A Brandt + Son. For listings, please see links in descriptions above. All images and info are thanks to A Brandt + Son.

The antique opal ring of your dreams.

May 11, 2015

Opals are so magical. The fiery play of color, they way they seem to change from every direction: it’s no wonder these captivating gems were once considered to be aligned with evil forces. They’re also pretty delicate, as gemstones go, which always makes me feel like antique opals are a little extra special, because of the particular care their owners must have taken to keep the pieces in good condition.

This particular antique opal ring is all that and MORE. It was originally going to share this post with one other piece, but I love it too much to divide its spotlight.

Here it is: the antique opal ring that stole my heart (today, anyway). This incredible thing, which is for sale at A Brandt + Son, dates to the mid-Victorian period, circa 1870. It is beautiful beyond comprehension.

As you can see, this glorious opal – which is in perfect condition, not a chip or a crack – is set in a mounting of 18k yellow gold topped with sterling silver. The yellow gold shank is embellished by fabulous carved detailing on the shoulders, which makes me swoon completely. The 18k gold gallery is also adorned with a lovely, simple scalloped design – a beautiful touch that adds to the whole of the ring without feeling fussy. Although you can’t see it in these photos, the ring shank is stamped “C&S Co.”.

Here it is on a lucky hand. The front of the ring, of course, is further embellished with a heart-shaped surround of diamonds ringing the opal and – my utterly favorite part – a perfect diamond set bow in silver-topped gold. The opal itself is luminous, resplendent with white, orange, gold, blue, and green fire.

I think its proportions are utterly perfect. The large opal and the rich color of the silver-topped gold prevent the heart and bow combo from feeling saccharine.

If you hadn’t guessed by the perfect color contrast and custom fit, the antique ring box in the photo above is this antique opal ring’s original box from 1870. I know – just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, right? The inside top of the box is stamped “JAMES GAULD JEWELLER ALFORD & KEMNAY.”

Do you love this as much as I do, my darlings? Maybe we could arrange some kind of time-share situation if enough of us pitch in for it? Tell me your thoughts.

This antique opal ring is for sale by A Brandt + Son. All images and info are thanks to A Brandt + Son.

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