This is part of Chairish’s Fine Jewelry assortment.
This vintage 18k gold Italian lantern charm is encrusted with citrine, amethyst, garnet, tourmaline and turquoise, bezel set among Etruscan Revival wirework and granulation. The ornate vintage piece was most likely first purchased at the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge in Florence famous for its jewelry shops and decadent baubles. The charm is oversized—the largest we’ve come across in this style. Layered like a wedding cake, the bottom tier contains gemstones in an array of saturated jewel tones—from vivid green tourmaline to brick red spessartine garnet to dusty purple amethyst . In the middle tier, turquoise cabochons are held in a crimped bezel setting—like a flower or ruffle—a jewelry technique that has been used since the Victorian era, giving the piece an antique feel. The top tier features garnet cabochons delineated by rows of granulation.
The shape of the charm represents the street lamps used in ancient Italian cities—imagine the city streets lit with moonlight and bejeweled lanterns. This beautiful pendant captures the magic of this image and makes a wonderful homage to another time and place.
The charm weighs 24.2 grams. It measures 1 5/8” x 1 1/8”, plus a 7.6 mm round bail. It is unmarked but acid tests as 18k. The bottom row contains approximately 12 carats of jewels (citrine, amethyst, garnet, spessartine garnet, and tourmaline). The middle row contains approximately 2 carats of turquoise. The top row contains approximately 8 carats of garnet.
This is part of Chairish’s Fine Jewelry assortment.
Part of Kirsten’s Corner’s Cute as a Button series, this 14k gold charm was cast from a Victorian era button. It features a side profile view of the goddess Nekhbet wearing her traditional vulture headdress. The charm is medallion-shaped with a nice weight to it and feels like an ancient coin. We’ve given the background of the medallion a matte patina, and Nekhbet’s portrait a high gloss polish so that it pops against the background.
Nekhbet was the goddess of childbirth in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology. She is typically depicted wearing a vulture headdress or as a being with a vulture head and human body. She was considered the protector of Upper Egypt. She is often seen in Victorian era jewelry, as part of the Egyptian Revival of the 1880’s.
The pendant measures 13/16” across with a 4 x 6 mm bail. It weighs 8.3 grams.