Gifts of Grandeur: An Openwork Diamond and Gold Ring

Ring
Forked Openwork Gold Shoulders
Rectangular openwork bezel-set diamonds lined in gold.
1775-1825
France
The Victoria & Albert Museum

At first glance, this impressive diamond ring appears to have been produced during the Art Deco period. However, it’s a much, much earlier creation, the work of a French jeweler dating between 1775 and 1825.


Mounted atop a band of “forked” openwork gold with a pattern that mimics the top surface of the ring, European-cut diamonds are set in silver, lined in gold. The cut of the diamonds is quite advanced for the age of the piece. They’re a few facets beyond the traditional European-cut diamonds and bordering on the modern brilliant-cut.

This ring was part of the collection of Dame Joan Evans who donated this, and other pieces, to the Victoria & Albert Museum.