Earrings, about 1880

The earrings are likely to be gold as it would be unwise to chase plated metal so deeply.These do appear to be chased.Chasing is the process which literally removes metal in order to create decoration as opposed to engraving in which metal is pushed aside as the engraving tool works on the surface.These are somewhat difficult to date and it is unclear if they are American; however, a date of circa 1880 places the pair with other engraved/chased examples popular at this time as seen in New York w…

GarnetBar Pin, 1884

Throughout most of the nineteenth century garnets were a popular stone in jewelry.Particular cuts of garnets, such as cabochon or faceted, help to indicate the made date.Garnets with smooth surfaces or cabochon were popular in the early half of the nineteenth century, while faceted garnets were popular during the later half of the nineteenth century.Delicate lace pins such as this were popular beginning in the 1880's and maintained popularity through the early 20th century, as they could be worn…

Morning Dress, 1780-1795