Romantic Engagement Ring with Old-Cut Diamonds & Cultured Pearl, 1903 & later

New Year’s Eve 1903 in Munich. Carriages roll along the cobblestones of Promenadeplatz, and warm light streams from the windows of the Bayerischer Hof. In the city’s festively decorated halls, people raise their glasses of champagne. Soon the church bells will herald the new year. We do not know where Walther and Anna spent that evening. But a small piece of jewellery still preserves the memory of their promise to this day. “Walther and Anna, Dec. 31, 1903”—so reads the carefully hand-engraved inscription on the inside of this ring. The beautiful engagement ring follows the “Toi-et-Moi” design: two gemstones face each other as symbols of two people who wish to walk through life together from now on. Here, a large diamond and a white pearl face each other. The diamond weighs approximately 0.90 carats and features the historic “Old European Cut.” Its hand-cut cut has unique proportions and produces vibrant light reflections. Opposite it sits a saltwater cultured pearl measuring 6.5 millimeters in diameter. The ring shoulders lead up to the two main stones and are set with ten additional diamonds. Their settings are made of platinum, while the ring band is crafted from slightly reddish gold. The cultured pearl used today is younger than the ring itself. Round cultured pearls were not yet commercially available in 1903; originally, an Oriental pearl likely occupied its place. It was replaced at some point in the ring’s history. This addition preserves the original concept of the design. Who Walther and Anna were, and whether their engagement was actually celebrated on that New Year’s Eve in Munich, is not recorded. Yet their names and the exact date lend the ring a rare sense of personal intimacy. More than 120 years later, it still tells the story of two people, a shared new beginning, and a promise that began with the new year. The ring, created in 1903 or shortly before, came to us from a Munich family’s collection.

Estimate:$3,241.79

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