I do not know if they are natural pearls- I suppose one would have to x-ray them to find out.(?) They are not very big pearls.
Rating
Are they natural pearls? by: Pearl Girl
How beautiful! Are the pearls natural pearls or imitation pearls as the circa date of 1870 appears to pre-date cultured pearls. If they are natural pearls, you really do have a treasure!
Pearl Girl
Rating
agate by: Anonymous
Thanks for your remarks, Agatelover! I only wish that the maker had thought to sign this set. There were a few pieces of card weight paper tucked behind the main stone (in the memorial compartment) with print on it, perhaps from their business card with a partial address which looks to be a street ending in -all
(Pall Mall? whitehall?), London.
What a gorgeous renaissance revival demi-parure! It typifies so well, the luxurious style and beauty of renaissance jewelry.
The banded agate, as you so rightly point out, was pure Victorian. They went dotty over agate.
Doesn't the rich noble color and the cut of the stones, the way they fall, lend balance to the opulence of the colorful enameling, rich gold work and the creamy whiteness of the pearls. Agate, being a hard-stone and ranked high on the Mohs Scale was appreciated by the Victorians not only for its beauty but also for its longevity.
Fortunately for revival jewelry, designers such as Erasmus Hornick, Etienne Delaune,Daniel Mignot and Hans Collaert published books of their designs which influenced goldsmiths and jewellers throughout Europe.
I had to tell you just how much I admire this jewelry set. I can only image how the colors of the agate and the jewelry must look in real life.
