Tiffany Antique 19th Century Gold, Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire 18K Cufflinks, c. 1890
Tiffany & Co. antique cufflinks, back to back, bezel set, one with a center diamond and bright blue sapphire, the other with a diamond and a vivid red ruby. The long oval 18K cufflinks measure 20.29 mm in length and 11.29 mm. wide. The white old cut diamonds (estimated to be near colorless and very slightly included, H/VS), weigh approximately .10 cts. Both the natural blue sapphire and natural red ruby weigh an estimated .12 cts., each.
The cufflinks are in fine condition.
Cufflinks are generally worn by men - except in the 19th century when they were also worn by women. For a jeweled decoration, cufflinks have always been a popular accessory.
Cufflinks have a fair amount of complexity in terms of criteria for selection. Here are a quick dozen reasons from which men pick 1 or 2 as the reasons for favoring a pair of cufflinks. -overall size,
-weight,
-type of gemstone
-how the cufflink looks against solid color background
presented by the cuff, and
-the personality offered by the motif of the cufflink
-the distance or "throw" of a cufflink as between its back and its front. This criteria has a lot to do with whether or not the gentleman has a large or a small wrist size
-certainly the color or type of material - gold, platinum, silver, wood stainless steel, and carved stones,
-the time period - "I'm Edwardian", "Just call me Deco", "I wouldn't touch Victorian, but I adore Georgian" "Nothing but Belle Epoch for me", etc.,
-whether or not the cufflinks are signed
-ease of application and removal
-and as women would always judge - how a cufflink would "go with" a particular set of shirts, sport coats or suits, and
-who gave them to him!
Today, a preponderance of jewelry is machine made in large factories around the world with abundant and obvious suspicions as to its enduring qualities using not only inferior stones, but also man made stones and treated stones utilizing artificial substances.
Alternatively, these cufflinks display fine gold craftsmanship by a leading American jeweler - Tiffany!
All items sold are accompanied by a detailed Statement of Value by our gemologist, as well as all original gemological documentation, if specified in the listing. As always, we guarantee all pieces to be exactly as represented. Each piece of jewelry arrives in a gift-wrapped fine presentation box.
Over the decades of our stewardship as a small but exemplary purveyor of the jeweler's art, we have strived to offer a fine and authentic selection, in excellent condition, of collectible jewels from all highly sought time periods at competitive prices. In the process, we have had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting remarkable people - some collectors, others just extremely interesting individuals who have taken the time and effort to examine their lives and select things that tend to make them smile, or admire, or just wonder at the exciting endlessly creative and nuanced panoply of jeweled artifacts.