Looking for a qualified appraiser of 16th-17th century jewelry

[lap32]

I have an old gold and enamel cross which I had an appraisal done on. The jewelry specialist felt that it was 16th-17th century. When it was shown to another appraiser they felt it was a victorian copy of a medieval piece. Another jewelry historian I showed it to felt it was 17th century and they did at one point work in a museum. I'm looking for someone very qualified to look at the piece and appraise it. Due to the possible age of the piece it seems very hard to get a good appraisal because it is such a niche area which many jewelers seem to have no experience in and is really a marriage between art history and jewelry. Any recommendations for a jewelry appraiser in the US?

 

[OoohShiny]

@oldminer or @denverappraiser may be able to assist or point you in the direction of someone who is a specialist in historic pieces.

If you are happy to do so, we would love to see pictures

 

[Bron357]

You might need a museum rather than a jeweller. You need someone very knowledgeable about religious goldwork antiquities. I would image dating and identifying such pieces relies on understanding the workmanship and style that pertain to certain periods. A jeweller might be able to test the gold assay but probably not much more.

 

[lap32]

You might need a museum rather than a jeweller. You need someone very knowledgeable about religious goldwork antiquities. I would image dating and identifying such pieces relies on understanding the workmanship and style that pertain to certain periods. A jeweller might be able to test the gold assay but probably not much more.

@Bron367 Yes, it was recommended to go to a museum and to possibly go as far as chemical testing of the enamel to date it. Based on your spelling of jeweller I'm going to assume you're in the UK where I understand museums are very to open to the public and will even identify objects for them. There is no museum that I can find that outright advertises this kind of service and most seem to not want to be bothered with looking at objects from the public. Thank you for the suggestion though!

 

[kgizo]

Maybe check with an auction house to see if they have a recommendation for an appraiser, or if they can evaluate it for you.

 

[Bron357]

@Bron367 Yes, it was recommended to go to a museum and to possibly go as far as chemical testing of the enamel to date it. Based on your spelling of jeweller I'm going to assume you're in the UK where I understand museums are very to open to the public and will even identify objects for them. There is no museum that I can find that outright advertises this kind of service and most seem to not want to be bothered with looking at objects from the public. Thank you for the suggestion though!

Hi there, I’m an Aussie. Ha ha!
My thought is to use the internet. I’m sure there is an expert out there, perhaps an archeologist who deals with jeweller finds dug up or someone associated with the Church of England religious artifacts.
Another idea is search the internet for antique dealers who sell similar style rings and ask them for an opinion or at least enquirer as to who determined their ring was 16th Century (and not 1992).
I’m sure you can seek out extra information by contacting the right people and sending good quality photos to them for your opinion.
What is the purpose of getting an appraisal? Is it just so you know more information or so you can sell it?
Of course one of the problems with dating and identifying jewellery is that styles are often replicated at later dates ie they are still making Victorian style ring rings.
It maybe we’ll be that an analysis of the actual gold or enamel is necessary to confirm actual date but that I imagine would be very expensive to do and if it’s just because “you’d like to know” it might well cost more than the ring is worth.
Make it into a learning adventure, maybe then you can become a source of knowledge and information for others in the future!

 

[lap32]

Hi there, I’m an Aussie. Ha ha!
My thought is to use the internet. I’m sure there is an expert out there, perhaps an archeologist who deals with jeweller finds dug up or someone associated with the Church of England religious artifacts.
Another idea is search the internet for antique dealers who sell similar style rings and ask them for an opinion or at least enquirer as to who determined their ring was 16th Century (and not 1992).
I’m sure you can seek out extra information by contacting the right people and sending good quality photos to them for your opinion.
What is the purpose of getting an appraisal? Is it just so you know more information or so you can sell it?
Of course one of the problems with dating and identifying jewellery is that styles are often replicated at later dates ie they are still making Victorian style ring rings.
It maybe we’ll be that an analysis of the actual gold or enamel is necessary to confirm actual date but that I imagine would be very expensive to do and if it’s just because “you’d like to know” it might well cost more than the ring is worth.
Make it into a learning adventure, maybe then you can become a source of knowledge and information for others in the future!

I'm so sorry for just assuming you were British, Australia just slipped my mind! I did contact a company that sells 16th-17th century/medieval jewelry (there isn't a whole lot in the US), but they don't do appraisals and their jewelry specialist who they contract with is in the UK. I've gotten too many varied opinions about what it is. The purpose of the appraisal at this point is for more information and insurance and even to know how it should be kept because of the varying views. Is it okay to throw it in a jewelry box or should this be keep in a vault or maybe there would be something academic to learn from it. I did submit pictures to auction houses and they also had different views. Some auction houses sent the pictures to their fine art department, some to their jewelry department. The jewelry department seemed to assume victorian revival and without documented provenance wouldn't make any kind of determination but the art department believed it was very old. I think because of the lack of strong provenance information and the fact that I did not pluck it from the ground also makes this tough. It is also super uncommon in the US to have jewelry older that the Georgian era.

 

[peacechick]

What about approaching an auction house?

ETA: saw you have done that. I have also admired rings from this site before that seems to specialize in antique jewelry. They offer curatorial services, perhaps they could give you an evaluation? http://www.medieval-rings.com/curatorial-services

 

[AV_]

Not common expertise at all.

I have asked museum staff about surprising objects in my life, looking for people with ovbiously relevant expertise (judging by publications, content of collections). It is a bit of a sport, and the result can only be an informal opinion. Appraisal is something else.

2c

 

[lap32]

What about approaching an auction house?

ETA: saw you have done that. I have also admired rings from this site before that seems to specialize in antique jewelry. They offer curatorial services, perhaps they could give you an evaluation? http://www.medieval-rings.com/curatorial-services

That's actually one of the companies I contacted. That department seems to be a division of a larger company that primarily deals in medieval illuminated manuscripts and their appraiser is based in the UK, not the US. They recommended contacting a museum.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

The V&A Museum in London may be able to help as they have an extraordinary collection of gems and jewellery, and a dedicated team of curators and conservationists.

 

[AV_]

Do you believe the cross was made in the US?

American - early Georgian Jewelry ...

Count me intrigued!

 

[lap32]

No, I definitely think it's European and everyone who has seen it says European too.

 

[tyty333]

Oh gosh...dying to see! Got any pictures you can throw up? ALways intrigued by old/antique pieces.