Antique Art Nouveau Two-Tone Gold Bypass Ring

The curving, asymmetrical, naturalistic forms of the Art Nouveau movement seem perfectly suited to the realm of jewelry- elegant, delicate, whimsical, and interesting, a flawless combination of traits to apply to wearable precious metals and gems. I think this charming and dramatic ring is an exceptional example of this style, with its graceful curves, botanical motifs, and effective use of color. Made mostly of a very pink rose gold, and set with a trio of white stones in the shape of a clover or flower bud atop an arching stem, the design continues to a central leaf made of bright yellow gold, and a single pink-red stone below. Based on the crisp facet junctions, the conchoidal shapes of small chips in the stones, and the incredible fire and sparkle they display, I believe the white stones are most likely white zircon, though they have not been tested, and I am selling them as "untested white stones." The small pink-red stone has a color that is consistent with spinel, though I am also erring on the side of caution and officially calling it an "untested red stone." Almost all of the rings that I have seen in this style, particularly with the rose and yellow gold combination, are Russian, though I hesitate to say with 100% certainty that this ring was made in Russia. The one clue that would have allowed me to know for sure is the gold purity stamp, and it is, unfortunately, partially obscured. The ring is made of 14k gold, and Russian 14k gold of this period would have been stamped "583" (because 14k gold is actually 58.3% gold, though it gets rounded up to 58.5%), or "56" to denote a purity of 56 zolotnik out of 96. As luck would have it, the purity stamp on this ring as a crisp and legible 58, followed by a third number that could just as easily be a 3 or a 5. The same way I can't say with certainty that the white stones are zircon or the red stone is spinel, I can't be completely sure the ring was made in Russia, so let's call it a "Russian style Art Nouveau ring with untested stones."

This ring is in great condition, with some chips present in the stones that are appropriate for its age (I have circled the small chips in the last two photos). The chips are not readily visible without magnification, and don't detract from the intense sparkle and fire of the white stones. This ring fits a US size 7, and the center of the ring measures 7/8" tall.