Gifts of Grandeur: The Hull Grundy Pansy Brooch, c. 1850

The British Museum

As we've often discussed before, the Victorian Language of Flowers was used to communicate many a message when the spoken word was not appropriate.  In this intimate language, the pansy represented "thoughts"--a clever play on the French word "pensees" which means "thoughts."  The pansy could also signify to the recipient of the flower that the sender was saying, "You occupy my thoughts."  The pansy was developed out of the viola by botanists from the late 1820s and by 1861, the brightly-hued, large variations that we know today were being grown.

When this brooch was made between 1840 and 1850, we can see that the flower was well on its way to becoming the bloom that we know.  At this point in both floral and jewelry history, the pansy was a popular romantic symbol, and this jewel is a perfect example of the place that the bloom held in English culture.  A work of chased two-color gold, the brooch is set with amethysts and citrines with pale green stone, possibly peridot, in the center.  The gems are mounted in the form of a pansy flower with the flower-head set on a trembler spring.

This piece forms part of the Hull Grundy bequest to The British Museum.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Pearl, Moonstone and Peridot Pendant, 1815

Pendant
English, 1815
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This delicate pendant of seed pearls mounted on mother-of-pearl is decorated with moonstones and peridots set in gold. The work of an unknown British jeweler, the piece dates to about 1815 and shows the sensibilities of designs of the time.

There’s a distinct reliance on the natural beauty of the stones that allows them to speak for themselves. It’s an interesting piece in that it demonstrates the ideals of the Rococo with a definite nod toward what was then modern design.

Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.

I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the matching necklace which accompanies these earrings. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.

Mastery of Design: The Hull Grundy Pansy Brooch, c. 1850

The British Museum

As we've often discussed before, the Victorian Language of Flowers was used to communicate many a message when the spoken word was not appropriate.  In this intimate language, the pansy represented "thoughts"--a clever play on the French word "pensees" which means "thoughts."  The pansy could also signify to the recipient of the flower that the sender was saying, "You occupy my thoughts."  The pansy was developed out of the viola by botanists from the late 1820s and by 1861, the brightly-hued, large variations that we know today were being grown.

When this brooch was made between 1840 and 1850, we can see that the flower was well on its way to becoming the bloom that we know.  At this point in both floral and jewelry history, the pansy was a popular romantic symbol, and this jewel is a perfect example of the place that the bloom held in English culture.  A work of chased two-color gold, the brooch is set with amethysts and citrines with pale green stone, possibly peridot, in the center.  The gems are mounted in the form of a pansy flower with the flower-head set on a trembler spring.

This piece forms part of the Hull Grundy bequest to The British Museum.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Pearl, Moonstone and Peridot Pendant, 1815

Pendant
English, 1815
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This delicate pendant of seed pearls mounted on mother-of-pearl is decorated with moonstones and peridots set in gold. The work of an unknown British jeweler, the piece dates to about 1815 and shows the sensibilities of designs of the time.

There’s a distinct reliance on the natural beauty of the stones that allows them to speak for themselves. It’s an interesting piece in that it demonstrates the ideals of the Rococo with a definite nod toward what was then modern design.

Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In June of 2011, we looked at the necklace that forms a suite with these earrings. Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.

I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the necklace. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.

Mastery of Design: A Pearl, Moonstone and Peridot Pendant, 1815

Pendant
English, 1815
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This delicate pendant of seed pearls mounted on mother-of-pearl is decorated with moonstones and peridots set in gold. The work of an unknown British jeweler, the piece dates to about 1815 and shows the sensibilities of designs of the time.

There’s a distinct reliance on the natural beauty of the stones that allows them to speak for themselves. It’s an interesting piece in that it demonstrates the ideals of the Rococo with a definite nod toward what was then modern design.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Quintessential 1820’s Necklace



Necklace
French, 1820
Gold, Emerald, Citrine, Sapphire, Garnet, Ruby, Aquamarine, Peridot, Pearls
The Victoria & Albert Museum

 If I could pick one piece of jewelry which I felt best summarized the sensibilities of French jewelers of the 1820’s, it would be this necklace.

It’s a masterpiece of gold cannetille. Cannetille is a close cousin to filigree inasmuch as it also employs thin gold wires or finely hammered sheets of gold to create patterns of scrolls and volutes, and even organic-inspired elements. This type of workmanship reached the peak of its popularity in the 1820’s in France. These pieces were often adorned with pink topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, chrysoberyl and rubies as well as pearls and shells which tied into the overall Rococo-ness of the style.

This necklace very neatly sums up the style. Here we see the beautiful filigree work which defined the look of the era. Set into the sumptuous gold are emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls. It couldn’t be a more perfect example if it tried.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m guessing that the earrings depicted in the last photograph were created at a later date—probably the late 1830’s—to match the necklace. The scale is not quite right when compared to the necklace and that leads me to believe they’re not original.

Mastery of Design: The Lady Cory Peridot Necklace, c. 1820

Lady Cory's Peridot Necklace, 1810-1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the impressive jewel collection of Lady Cory, we have this exceptional necklace (with matching earrings) of diamonds and peridots set in silver, backed with gold.

Made by an unknown jeweler around 1820, the necklace showcases the beautiful lime green of the peridots set against the icy shimmer of the diamonds. 

The three large central units of the necklace probably date from about 1810.  These may have originally formed part which was broken apart. The rest of the necklace, dates to about ten years later.  

Mastery of Design: A Pearl, Moonstone and Peridot Pendant, 1815

Pendant
English, 1815
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This delicate pendant of seed pearls mounted on mother-of-pearl is decorated with moonstones and peridots set in gold. The work of an unknown British jeweler, the piece dates to about 1815 and shows the sensibilities of designs of the time.

There’s a distinct reliance on the natural beauty of the stones that allows them to speak for themselves. It’s an interesting piece in that it demonstrates the ideals of the Rococo with a definite nod toward what was then modern design.

Mastery of Design: A Pair of French Gemstone Earrings, 1820-1830

Earrings
1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In June, we looked at the necklace that forms a suite with these earrings. Fashioned of gold filigree with cannetille (thin gold wires) and grainti (bumpy grains of gold) decoration, these earrings are set with emeralds, citrines, sapphires, garnets, rubies, aquamarines, peridots and pearls.


I’ll repeat what I said when I discussed the necklace. I believe that these earrings were made later than the necklace. The necklace was created around 1820—a fact very much reflected in the style of the piece. However, I’m guessing the earrings came about a decade later. There’s something about the workmanship that doesn’t exactly match. However, they’re quite attractive and very nice examples of the style of the early to mid Nineteenth Century. This is the sort of thing that a young Queen Victoria would have worn—or at least admired.