Baroque The Baroque period in art history spans from about 1600 to 1775 and is one of the most versatile amongst the art eras. The name is derived from a Portuguese jewelers term “barrocco”, meaning “irregularly formed pearl”. It was preceded...
Baroque Jewelry Introduction With the start of the 17th century, Renaissance jewelry evolved gradually into a new style. From 1625 on, we see a clear reaction against the rigid and contorted dresses that had been worn by the ladies of the Renaissance. Soft, flowing...
Victorian Hair Bodkin. Bodkin A bodkin is a hairpin worn by Renaissance ladies to keep long hair in a knot at the rear of the head. Eventually, the bodkin evolved into...
Closed-Back Setting Closed settings are used when it is desirable to have metal behind the stone so that no part of the stone below the girdle is visible. Early rings were set this way. Sometimes foil or paint was put on the...
Decade Ring 18th Century Decade Rings.Victoria & Albert Museum Collection. A decade ring has ten bumps around the outside of the shank for use as a prayer counter. The bumps correspond to the ten Aves of the rosary and the bezel, usually having a religious...
Émail Brun Émail brun (from French: “brown enamel”) was developed in the Rhineland area around the time that they adopted the champlevé technique. Contrary to the name, it is not an enamel technique but rather a lacquering method like niello. A layer of...
