Modern Jewellery and Art. 11 



artistic, and lias not lived. What did live, however, and give 

 repeated signs of healthy vitality, was the art of chasing and 

 embossing — in its result more often called repousse-work — and 

 many fine specimens of the art, executed at this and at a later 

 period, are to be found. But repousse-work is scarcely appli- 

 cable to jewellery proper, and was chiefly employed on tazzas 

 and other silver plate, but oftener still on the gold cases of 

 watches, and the principal portions of chatelaines. 



The eighteenth century was the age of snuff-boxes, etui-cases, 

 bonbonnieres, scent-bottle mounts, and a host of similar pro- 

 ductions, in which great cleverness and some taste was dis- 

 played ; and of paste waist-clasps, and shoe-buckles. What 

 is more to our purpose, however, is the fact that at this period 

 several kinds of finger rings of great taste, and very careful 

 workmanship, were made. One kind is called the " Giar- 

 dinetti u ring, and consisted of a sprig of leaves and flowers, 

 formed of diamonds and garnets, the latter set to imitate rubies, 

 but among which other stones are very often introduced. These 

 rings are in endless variety, and often have an ease and grace 

 which make them deservedly prized. There were also what 

 are commonly called Queen Ann's rings, made of a single 

 stone, an amethyst, a topaz, or a table diamond, in a close 

 cramp setting, with a peculiarly light scroll shank, and an 

 exquisitely fluted gold back. The double scroll on the shoulder 

 of the ring was sometimes of silver, and held in its folds a 

 small square cut gem, usually a ruby or a diamond. Then 

 there were the crystal memorial rings, in which a single crystal, 

 with a narrow facetted edge, was set over a gum-plait of hair, 

 in the centre of which was a minute cipher made of twisted 

 gold wire. The crystal was cut wrih a broad culasse, which 

 rested directly upon the cipher, and allowed it to be seen clearly 

 through. It must be especially noted that the pride of the 

 setter at this period was that his work, whether of real gems 

 or paste imitations, should be " sound," that is, capable of 

 excluding air and water; which is much more than can be 

 said of the setting of the present day. Some of the paste 

 ornaments, in imitation of diamond work, of this time, although 

 utterly devoid of beauty of design, were wonderful specimens 

 of clean, close workmanship, and often retain their lustre un- 

 tarnished after the lapse of a hundred years. 



At the latter half of the eighteenth century, engine-turning 

 was much employed to ornament large surfaces, and was made 

 available as the ground-work for the enameller whereon to 

 place his translucent glasses. The enamelled work of this 

 period is very good, more especially the dead white and the 

 purple, and a kind of dark puce (pieuse ?) which has since 

 been called mauve. Engine -turning was brought to great 



