Catalog: Estate Jewelry: Silver: Arts and Crafts (6)

True to the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement which valued artistry and craftsmanship at the expense of ostentatious materials this early 20th c. ring is wrought in silver and centered by a glorious Peking glass cabochon. The ring’s bezel is supported by laurel leaves, their layering given depth by oxidation while the white swirls in the green cab bestow it the dynamism of turbulent water. Currently a sz 4.25 US the ring is easily resizable...

True to the basic principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, this silver and sodalite ring brings together careful, honest craftsmanship in an uncomplicated, clear design that respects the nature of the materials used and brings out their natural beauty. I love the deep color of the stone with its veins of black and the spiderweb of white that just makes it through to the surface...

The Arts and Crafts is one of my favorite periods in jewelry design - emphasis on motifs from nature, design that focuses on craftsmanship while allowing the viewer to follow the artisan's hand, "honest" materials without necessarily seeking out the most expensive metals and gemstones, it was a real break with the fussy excesses of Victorian aesthetics. The silver and banded agate intaglio ring presented here is an example that brings together all the above...

A nicely cast sterling silver band of nautilus shells surrounds an oval, semi-translucent piece of gorgeous carnelian in this Arts and Crafts brooch presented here. I have had this piece for a little while and was reluctant to part with it because of its tactile beauty, its warm patina and the color of the stone that brings to mind warm, aromatic caramel. I am assuming this is a native, US-made brooch because it is simply marked for metal quality and I suspect it is a studio-made pin...

A masterfully crafted, meticulously finished frame of sterling lily pads accented with tiny beading and elegant little wire swirls surrounds a flat-top amethyst gem in the vintage studio ring I am presenting here. This type of silver-work and the specific foliate motif is easily identified as created by Mary Gage, one of the most talented - and indeed most eccentric - silversmiths of the late American Arts and Crafts movement...

Signed by Mary Gage, the eccentric yet talented silversmith (among other vocations!) of the late American Arts and Crafts movement, this wide sterling silver band ring is entirely hand-wrought and features her signature "lily pads" motif. It seems that Gage crafted this ring in 14k yellow gold as well which probably explains why, if you look really closely to the clusters of tiny beading separating the lily pads, you will spot two or three that are made of gold...