The art of intaglio: connecting to Roman elegance

Group of antique jewelry objects: bracelet

Condition: excellent condition, especially considering its age (one of the intaglios has a chip on the back, not visible from above)
- (more info on our condition scale)

Country of origin: The origin of the bracelet itself is unknown.

The chrome-bearing chalcedony, in which the intaglios were carved, comes from a unique source near Eskisehir, in Anatolia (Turkey). Furthermore, the engraving of the chrome chalcedonies was carried out in Italy. For more information, we invite you to consult the explanations below, provided by Hadrien Rambach, cameo expert.

Style: Neoclassical (somewhere between Louis XVI and Empire)

This (second) neoclassical wave, more austere, more studied and more consciously archaeological, is associated with the height of the Napoleonic Empire. In France, the first phase of neoclassicism was expressed in the Louis XVI style, and the second in the so-called Directoire or Empire styles.

The Empire style, sometimes considered the second phase of neoclassicism, is an architectural movement of the early 19th century, present in Europe and America until about 1830. This style takes its origin and name from the period of the First Empire, when Napoleon I ruled France. It aimed to idealize the power of Napoleon and the French State. It corresponds to the Biedermeier style in German-speaking countries, the Federal style in the United States, and the Regency style in Great Britain. An earlier phase of the style was called the Adam style in Great Britain and "Louis Seize" or Louis XVI in France.
- See also: Empire or more info on the styles

Stylistic specificities: The X-shaped links between the intaglios and the brilliant-cut diamonds are a typical feature of jewelry from the Louis XVI period. The use of intaglios, which refers to the revival of classicism at that time, is also characteristic of the Empire style.

Period: The bracelet itself was made around 1790.

However, the chrome chalcedony intaglios can be dated between 100 BC and 100 AD. For more information, we invite you to consult the explanation below, provided by Hadrien Rambach, cameo expert.
- (events and facts from this period, poetry from this period, fashion from this period)

Source of inspiration: Mythology

Material: Yellow and red two-tone 14-carat gold (tested with a touchstone). The diamonds are set on silver (tested with a touchstone).
- (more info on precious metals)

Technique: Intaglio – An intaglio, or engraved gemstone, is a carved gemstone, generally carved on only one side in the Western tradition. The engraving of gemstones was a major luxury art in Antiquity and played an important role in certain later periods. Strictly speaking, the term intaglio refers to cameos, carved gemstones whose design is engraved into the flat background of the stone, as opposed to relief sculptures where the design stands out from the background, as is the case with almost all cameos.

Diamond(s): 71 old brilliant-cut diamonds with an estimated weight of ± 2.50 ct (color and clarity: F/K, vs/i). The type of diamond cut here (old mine cut) is considered very rare for 18th-century jewelry. Most 18th-century and older jewelry features rose-cut diamonds.

- All weights, color shades, and clarities of the diamonds are approximate, as the stones are not removed from their settings in order to preserve the integrity of the mount. In addition, all diamonds are checked by the IJGC laboratory (www.ijgc-worldwide.com) to determine whether they are natural or synthetic, and all the diamonds in this jewel are guaranteed 100% natural!

Gemstones: Eight chrome chalcedonies and the description of each of these Roman intaglios (left/right directions) is given according to the impressions these seals would make in wax.

No. 01 represents: the bare head of a man to the right, in the manner of the late Republic
No. 02 represents: Asclepius standing to the left, draped, with his serpent around his staff
No. 03 represents: a soldier standing to the left, helmeted, holding a spear and a shield: Mars?
No. 04 represents: a Victory walking to the right, holding a crown and a palm
No. 05 represents: a female deity standing facing forward, resting on a short column, holding drapery and a palm in one arm, a spear and a shield (?) in the other
No. 06 represents: a female deity standing to the left, elegantly dressed, holding something in her arms, with letters behind her.
No. 07 represents: Bacchus dancing (?), nude, holding a vase from which he pours wine onto the ground where a panther lies
No. 08 represents Venus Victrix standing to the right, leaning on a short column, holding the spear and helmet. This type of Signet ring was that of Julius Caesar, inherited and worn by Augustus. It is found on several coins from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. For other examples, on different stones, see Erika Zwierlein-Diehl (Die antiken Gemmen des kunsthistorischen Museums in Wien, vol. II, 1979, no. 1460-1476).
Venus Victrix (Venus the Victorious) was an aspect of the armed Aphrodite that the Greeks had inherited from the East (the goddess Ishtar was a goddess of war). Venus Victrix was considered capable of bringing victory to warriors like Caesar, and Pompey dedicated a temple to her – at the top of his theater in the Campus Martius in 55 BC. –. She also had a sanctuary on the Capitoline Hill. //// The arms of Aeneas, made by Vulcan (Virgil, Aeneid, 8, 416-453) and which Venus came to deliver to her son (8, 608-625).

Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or stone of the month) for April.
- (more info about birthstones)

Dimensions: Total length approximately 18.00 cm (7.09 inches) x maximum width approximately 1.55 cm (0.61 inch) - See the image with a ruler in cm and inches

Weight: 10.50 grams (6.75 dwt)

Adin