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Antique Mid-19th Century, French 18K Agate and Rose Cut Diamond Cluster Ring

About the Item

This stunning antique cluster ring was made in France and dates to around the mid 19th century, circa 1860. In the centre rests a smooth banded agate in an open back setting, encircled by a halo of rose cut diamonds in closed-back, cutdown silver settings with a combined approximate weight of 0.15 carats. The ring has a decorative pierced gallery in the form of crescents and a solid semi-circular shank. The shoulders are decorated with two applied fleur-de-lis, each set with rose cut diamonds in silver settings. The main colour of the milky agate is a creamy-brown hue with a darker brown band on one side. The diamonds are rose cut, the triangular facets of these cuts were very popular during the Georgian and Victorian periods as they glistened more beautifully in candlelight than any other cut. This elegant ring sits flat on the finger, the stones are secure in their settings and the ring is in superb condition despite its significant age, a truly rare find! UK size U / US size 10, 5.44g, French ’tête d’aigle’ control mark to indicate 18K gold made in Paris.

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All of the royal children would be dressed in the most splendid costumes and adorned with a vast amount of jewels on several parts of the body. Their costumes and jewels differed according to their title and rank. Diamonds for instance, would be bestowed to the highest ranking noble children. The royal children were allowed to keep their regalia and jewels as a present on entering adulthood to indicate their social status among society. Over the years, these royal jewels have been dispersed across the many noble families, with currently only a few important pieces remaining in the royal collection. Today, the number of royals in Thailand is contracting as the country follows the Chinese nobility system whereby with each generation the noble rank of a family decreases by one ranking so that eventually the majority of descendants will lose their noble status completely. 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He sent troupes of ambassadors to England (1857) and France (1861) with seemingly endless amounts of trunks filled with lavish gifts in order to dazzle the heads of state with the extraordinary quality and variety of Siam craftsmanship. These gifts consisted of faithful replicas of the Royal Regalia and objects belonging to the King himself; items and jewellery worn by him on his Tonsure ceremony and on his coronation day. Enormous time and effort was required by the Siam court to assemble these numerous gifts, as they emanated from the very same royal goldsmiths and courtly craftsman who had made the original ceremonial items. The most famous of these ceremonies took place at the Chateau de Fontainebleau in 1861. The painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme that immortalised the event prominently features the most spectacular of these gifts. Among the 150 gifts presented to Napoléon-III by the Siam ambassadors were two diamond-set rings, both of which are on display in the Musée du Chateau de Fontainebleau (item no. F1518C and F1519C). One of these rings is a rose cut diamond cluster and bears a striking resemblance to the ring we are offering. According to Bruley (2011), this ring, presented to Napoleon-III, was a faithful replica of the ring worn by King Mongkut on his own coronation day in 1851, which now resides in the Pavilion of Royal Regalia in Thailand. The Ring: From whichever angle the present ring is viewed, it is a masterpiece of design and a testament to the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the Siam royal goldsmiths. The bezel head is composed of two layers, the uppermost, containing the large triangle shaped table-cut diamond, is riveted to the main body of the ring. 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