Victorian Micro Mosaic Beetle Ring

My favorite of the micro-mosaic pieces are the wonderfully rare and fanciful insects. Circa 1875, this little beetle ring is designed in a combination of tiny matte and mirrored glass tiles, known as "tesserae", set in a yellow gold mounting that has the rich glowing patina of dignified age.

Details: Measuring approximately 1/2" in diameter across the face, the band measures 1.75 mm at the center back. The mounting is not marked for gold content but XRF tests to 18k at the mosaic frame, bezel-cup and scrolled shoulders, and 10k at the back of the band, which may indicate a previous resizing.

Size: 6 1/4, we can resize this about one full size. Engraved with the initials A.L.B. behind the face.

Condition: In excellent antique condition, with age-appropriate wear and some slight oxidization of the metal at the shoulders. The tiles are complete, no obvious missing pieces.

History: Mosaics, fashioned of small pieces of glass or hardstone called tesserae, have been produced for literally thousands of years, with earliest examples attributed to the Ancient Greeks. Micro-mosaics were developed in the late 18th century by the Italian craftsman Giacomo Raffaelli to cater to the "Grand Tour" crowd; in the 18th and 19th century a tour of archeological and historial sites throughout Europe was considered an essential part of an upper-class person's education, and this rite of passage became known as the "Grand Tour".

As these tiny treasures grew in popularity craftsmen in Rome teamed with jewelers in Florence to produce beautifully designed and sometimes impossibly small-scale mosiac art to set in decorative objects and jewels for the elite to purchase as a remembrance of their trip.