Era: Early Victorian

Length: 7/8”

Width: 5/8"

Material: Tests for silver with gold filled…. glass

Weight: 3 grams

Mark: No mark

A shimmer that is as spectacular as the sun. The deep marigold hue of this lovely, Victorian gold filled paste pin is as rich and radiant as could be, thanks to its finely crafted halo design of paste in a brilliant-cut that enhance its radiating effect. The distinctive light and vibrancy to the focal point stone is due to its foiling at the back and emerald cut. With refined craftsmanship to the silver collette setting and gold fill at the back, it's a shining, shimmering show-stopping piece ready for your lapel.

Condition and Quality

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Bright patina with some surface wear to the setting along the inside. No dents.

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Fresh sheen, crisp facets, and minor wear on the glass.

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Secure, original clasp.

Collector Note

On Paste Jewelry. Paste is a term that refers to the glass stones crafted during the Georgian and Victorian eras to simulate the sparkle of natural gemstones. The techniques for creating these glass stones were sophisticated, and quality paste pieces were desired by high society members and even royalty. At the fundamental level, the technique involved leaded glass that was cut, foiled at the back, and polished until it shimmered in light. For colorful gemstones, the foil would be hand-tinted to very accurately capture the hue of a natural gem. During the Georgian era, a technique emerged called “black dot,” which was a painted tiny black dot on the pointed end of a paste stone to create the illusion of diamond-like depth. Specialty paste pieces include the paste stone riviere necklace and the doublet paste pieces. Today, antique pieces that feature paste stones are loved by collectors for their period-specific and difficult technique.

On Victorian. A young Queen Victoria assumed her role in 1837 and her taste in jewelry quickly became culturally influential, within England and beyond. Her relationship to jewelry was enmeshed with her husband, Prince Albert, who gifted the Queen for their engagement, a snake ring, embedded with an emerald (her birthstone) in its head. Continuing from the Georgian era and intensified by Queen Victoria’s taste, sentimental and figural jewelry was a major trend throughout the Victorian era. When certain ideas and words were deemed too forward or improper to be spoken, jewelry and symbolic meaning was used to communicate!

It's a beautiful example of a cluster ring, where a larger central gemstone is encircled by smaller ones, often diamonds, to create a grander, more impactful look! This style became quite popular in the Georgian and Victorian eras, often featuring rose-cut or old mine-cut diamonds like the ones surrounding your central stone.

The central gemstone, with its radiant warm yellow hue, could very well be a citrine, known for its association with sunshine and joy, or possibly a yellow topaz. Both were cherished for their vibrant color in antique jewelry. The setting, likely silver or a silver-backed gold, further hints at its age, as silver was commonly used with diamonds to enhance their sparkle before white gold and platinum became widely adopted. It truly has a timeless elegance!