Georgian Carved Coral Pineapple Three-stone Ring

An exceptional Georgian era beauty c.1820 that features three hand-carved natural corals. The cross-hatch pattern and cushion cabochon shapes represents the pineapple in Georgian jewelry. During the early 19th century, the pineapple became a symbol for hospitality, status and a cosmopolitan lifestyle as it was at the time an incredibly expensive, imported fruit. Often the pineapple would appear as a prominent centrepiece at parties and displayed until expiration rather than eaten due to their scarcity and price. To have smelled one during this time would have been a mark of high society and access to luxury. The pineapple became a beloved motif in all manners of art forms, including architecture, family crests and jewelry. In the Georgian era, the orange-red hue of coral made the material the primary choice for pineapple jewelry.

This ring is an exceptionally-crafted piece from this era and in this tradition. With the pleasing three-stone design and hand-carved pineapple leaf shoulder designs it is a quintessential piece of the era. The detail of the craftsmanship is also remarkable -- the cut-down collet is meticulously made and even the small granules that connect the corals are well made and makes the piece a balanced whole.

Specifications

Please note that this ring is made out of rolled gold (a thick layer of gold bonded to a base metal), not solid gold. The price of the piece reflects the rarity of the piece and the condition it is in.

Please note the corals are all natural, which therefore exhibits slight gradation in color and are not completely matched one to the other that might appear slightly different than what you see on screen. We have tried our best to capture the color in our pictures to reflect real life conditions.

US 7 1/2 on a mandrel. Due to the rolled gold construction, it is not recommended to resize this ring.

Width at ring head is 7mm and rises 3mm off the finger.

Please note the antique ring box is not included in the listing.

Condition

In excellent antique condition commensurate with age. This ring exhibits very little wear and the rolled gold has held up wonderfully overtime. The base of the shank exhibits tiny areas where the gold layer has rubbed away and the silver-toned base metal shows through (please see the close-up images of the shank). There is one spot at the center of the shank base that has a visible file mark where someone (not done by us) historically filed away to see if the piece is solid gold or rolled gold. The ring is in otherwise impeccable condition and the cut-down collet settings remain secure. Please note that there is a visible imperfection on the central coral but this appears to be because the carving intersected with a natural imperfection of the coral and is not a condition of damage. Please note that this is an antique pre-owned piece and is therefore not in mint condition. Sold as-is.