Victorian Carved Labradorite Monkey Ring
A wonderful and rare piece from the mid to late Victorian period. The ring came to me in a bit of a state and has been lovingly restored. The centrepiece is a carved labradorite, a gemstone with a blue/grey iridescence. The carving is of a monkeys face. This particular example is fairly worn, though the features are perfectly recognisable and are entirely original to the carving. He sits in a rub over setting atop the original antique repouseé shank. The shoulders of the shank have managed to be rescued; the lower half of the shank was unsalvageable and this has had to be replaced with a plain gold shank. The original part of the ring is 9ct gold cased, while the new shank and all repairs to bring the repouseé back to life are solid 9ct gold. The monkey is complete with cabochon ruby eyes. A truly spectacular and rare ring that it has been a pleasure to bring back to life. The final photo shows how the ring came to me.
Details:
Materials - 9ct Gold (tested), Labradorite, Ruby
Age - Mid to Late Victorian, c1870s
Size - The face measures approx 9.5mm by 8mm
Ring Size - UK N 1/2 US 6 3/4 This ring could be resized
Condition - Very good. Wear commensurate with age. Joins to the new shank are visible on the inside. This is out of necessity to preserve as much of the original ring as possible.
Weight - 2.94g
A wonderful and rare piece from the mid to late Victorian period. The ring came to me in a bit of a state and has been lovingly restored. The centrepiece is a carved labradorite, a gemstone with a blue/grey iridescence. The carving is of a monkeys face. This particular example is fairly worn, though the features are perfectly recognisable and are entirely original to the carving. He sits in a rub over setting atop the original antique repouseé shank. The shoulders of the shank have managed to be rescued; the lower half of the shank was unsalvageable and this has had to be replaced with a plain gold shank. The original part of the ring is 9ct gold cased, while the new shank and all repairs to bring the repouseé back to life are solid 9ct gold. The monkey is complete with cabochon ruby eyes. A truly spectacular and rare ring that it has been a pleasure to bring back to life. The final photo shows how the ring came to me.
Details:
Materials - 9ct Gold (tested), Labradorite, Ruby
Age - Mid to Late Victorian, c1870s
Size - The face measures approx 9.5mm by 8mm
Ring Size - UK N 1/2 US 6 3/4 This ring could be resized
Condition - Very good. Wear commensurate with age. Joins to the new shank are visible on the inside. This is out of necessity to preserve as much of the original ring as possible.
Weight - 2.94g
A wonderful and rare piece from the mid to late Victorian period. The ring came to me in a bit of a state and has been lovingly restored. The centrepiece is a carved labradorite, a gemstone with a blue/grey iridescence. The carving is of a monkeys face. This particular example is fairly worn, though the features are perfectly recognisable and are entirely original to the carving. He sits in a rub over setting atop the original antique repouseé shank. The shoulders of the shank have managed to be rescued; the lower half of the shank was unsalvageable and this has had to be replaced with a plain gold shank. The original part of the ring is 9ct gold cased, while the new shank and all repairs to bring the repouseé back to life are solid 9ct gold. The monkey is complete with cabochon ruby eyes. A truly spectacular and rare ring that it has been a pleasure to bring back to life. The final photo shows how the ring came to me.
Details:
Materials - 9ct Gold (tested), Labradorite, Ruby
Age - Mid to Late Victorian, c1870s
Size - The face measures approx 9.5mm by 8mm
Ring Size - UK N 1/2 US 6 3/4 This ring could be resized
Condition - Very good. Wear commensurate with age. Joins to the new shank are visible on the inside. This is out of necessity to preserve as much of the original ring as possible.
Weight - 2.94g