Victorian diamond and ruby star-set ring

Name: Victorian diamond and ruby star-set ring
Brand: AUric Vintage
SKU: D26-043
Price: 790.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

€790,00

A style with real history behind the name. Known traditionally as a gypsy set ring, this design sets each stone flush into the band itself rather than raising it up, said to have originated as a practical way for travellers to wear valuable stones securely, without the risk of a raised setting catching or being knocked loose. Here, a diamond and two rubies sit within six-rayed star settings, whilst the shoulders carry their own decorative engraving too.

15kt gold is itself a small piece of history, a fineness standard used in Britain for less than eighty years before being phased out in 1932, so a ring in this metal tells you something about its age before you've even looked at the stones. Marked 15kt gold, Birmingham, 1900 and maker's mark Nathan Brothers.

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Looking through the LOUPE

MATERIALS

Diamond, ruby and gold

AGE

1900

SIZE

UK: P 1/2 / US: 7.75

WEIGHT

1.75 g

MARKS

Birmingham. 625 for 15kt gold, 625/1000, this standard was discontinued in 1932. Date letter for 1900 and maker's mark for Nathan Brothers.

Victorian diamond and ruby star-set ring

United Kingdom / 1860s - 1930s

Nathan Brothers

The firm's roots go back to Benjamin Nathan, who arrived in Birmingham around 1860 and set up as a manufacturing jeweller on Vyse Street, established enough by 1871 to appear comfortably settled there in that year's census. After Benjamin's death, his widow kept the business going single-handed until their sons, Frederick and Maurice, took it over and built it into Nathan Brothers, the name the firm became known by for the following generation.

Their early work ran from delicate spray brooches and drop earrings in topaz and aquamarine to amethyst and pearl necklaces and cameos brought in from Italy, alongside the heavier diamond clusters and mourning jewellery fashionable in the Victorian era. They were also known for fine chain work of every kind, guard chains, Alberts, double Alberts, muff chains, and were still ahead of the curve in the 1930s, becoming the first Birmingham firm to introduce modern marcasite jewellery.

1837 — 1901

Victorian

If the Victorians were alive today, they would be fervent collectors. In many ways, the nineteenth century perfected the art of collecting. From fossils and postage stamps to taxidermy and even human hair, the Victorian appetite for objects of fascination was insatiable. Collecting was not simply a pastime but a reflection of curiosity, sentiment, and status.

The Grand Tour, a cultural excursion across Europe undertaken by wealthy young men and women, encouraged the acquisition of meaningful souvenirs. Jewellery became one of the most treasured mementoes, often unique to the cities visited. Travellers returned with Swiss porcelain brooches, lava cameo earrings from Pompeii, gold bangles from Paris, and micromosaic necklaces from Florence. Each piece carried both aesthetic appeal and the memory of place.

Queen Victoria herself was an avid collector and an influential tastemaker. Jewels commissioned by her or by Prince Albert frequently set new trends. During her visits to Balmoral, she developed a deep affection for Scotland, popularising jewellery set with Highland agates in distinctive Scottish designs. Sentimental tokens often meant more to her than state regalia. Ornate yellow gold settings housed sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and amethysts, while turquoise, demantoid garnet, and pearls added rich and vivid contrast.