A Painting Depicting a Lady Wearing a Dress Covered in Aiguilettes. Aiguillette Aiguilettes (also spelled: aguillette, aiglet or aglets) are needle like dress ornaments intended to secure a cord or ribbon to a dress. During the first half of the 15th century these...
Billiment A biliment or habilliment (sometimes spelled bilament) was an ornamental band that formed the border on a Medieval head-dress. Usually, this was jeweled and was worn on the front near the forehead....
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...
