As antique jewelry specialists, we’ve always been fascinated by the transition from the darker, extremely conservative Victorian days to the brighter and more colorful Edwardian style – with its use of colorful gems and filigreed platinum mountings that predated the often similar art deco.
Valuation is difficult. We must examine each piece. Makers’ marks, quality of the diamonds (color, clarity) and of the colored gemstones (which are often early synthetics), and quality of workmanship (so-called “gallery work”) are all significant aspects of value. Even empty mountings are typically worth more than metal value and sometimes, like the mount shown, worth $1,000 or more (the larger the hole in an empty mounting, the higher the value, usually).
While the styles overlap a bit, the Edwardian era (1901 to 1910) often used platinum tops and gold backs, and lined the central diamond gemstones with colorful sapphires or rubies. Or the reverse – when a fine ruby or sapphire would be surrounded by small diamond stones (melee).
Getting into the art deco era, more angular designs and filigree work began to appear. We have on record single rings or brooches from these wonderful eras that we paid $10,000 to $50,000 for. Here are a few we purchased locally and from dealers throughout the U.S.
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