ABOUT:

Personal collection release! Another one I've enjoyed for a few years now but I haven't been reaching for her as much so it's time to let her go (tear face emoji).

Very old French antique "Bague au Firmament" from the Georgian era with cobalt blue enamel on the elongated octagon platform ring face. Cropping out from the blue background are three chunky old mine cut diamonds in silver collet settings, totaling over 0.8 carat, applied as little "stars" to the face of the ring.

This very French antique piece is called "bague au firmament" which translates to "Ring of the Heavens." This style became popular due to Marie Antoinette's fondness for them. The blue is meant to look like the night sky, with the twinkling diamonds like little stars.

So many wonderful details to this one, the striking blue color, the sparkle, the ornately decorated ring shoulders.

Another thing that I really liked about this ring is that the diamond settings are open backed. We usually see these in closed and foil backed settings which are also wonderful and period appropriate, but can often show rust and age to the foil after 200 years. At some point in this ring's story, someone opened the backs so allow the light to shine through, so the chunky old cuts really have an excellent sparkle to them and a wonderful coloring.

No hallmarks remain but I purchased this in France where the standard is 18k, it was sold to me as such and tested to confirm.

Please note the detailed measurements that I always provide, as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures where I am required to show zoomed in detail.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
Size 7 1/2.

The ring face is about 21x10mm. It stands off the finger 6mm. Weight is 5.1grams.

The diamonds are each 4.2 to 4.5mm, widening out further in the collet settings which wrap up and around the girdle edges of the stone. Thereby exact carat weight is unknown as I would not remove them, but it is at over 0.8 carats total diamond weight just measuring the exposed portions of the stones.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

This is about as sturdy of a Georgian era (1714-1830) ring as one can find. The diamonds are well set and well surrounded and with the open backs, there is no fear of it getting wet or deteriorating like the closed and foil back settings. There is loss to the enamel in one corner. It does reveal the underlying gold but because it was in my personal collection, I had filled it in with blue coloring in that one small spot to mask that wear so that the gold coloring wasn't popping through the blue background. This is not a permanent solution, but is preferable in my mind to attempting enamel repair, which is a lost art and can often be attempted and end up ruining antique pieces. It is about a 2mm spot where the enamel loss is down to the gold, with shallower flakes of loss around that area leaving it slightly uneven. This is seen when you study the surface in a reflection. Face on the color appears complete.

Typical antique diamonds, the center diamond has a wonderful pale yellow color which I love to find (why am I parting with this one again? : ) This seems to amplify in the sun as it faces up whiter in ambient light. The flanking two stones also have some warmth but all face up well matching and are not dingy or lifeless at all. Also typical for antique stones, they have some faint natural inclusions, a frosty spot here or there. The center stone has a smattering of tiny crystal specks and one of the end stones has a smattering of the tiniest carbon specks but this is seen only under magnification. To the eye, the frostiness is slightly eye visible if you are seeking out but not glaring and none of the stones appear dull or frosty all the way through.

Quite a lot of patina to the piece from age to the silver collets. Appropriate considering age, but considering its 200+ years, it is a very fine ring from a special period in jewelry history!

Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : )
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )

SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews! And check out my website www.MousesHouseAntiques.com as I can add more pics there so you can get extra looks : )

All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).

Many of my listings include group shots – I find the comparisons between pieces help show scale, diamond hues, etc. All items in group shots are inventory, but refer to the website to see what items have sold out and to watch for new listings from the grouping to appear on the home page.

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