Lord Byron
From the Age of Lace and Romance
Lord Byron was one of the greatest English poets of all time. Lord Byron wove words so beautifully that, 300 years later, his poems are studied for their depth, mystery, and wisdom.
Handwoven lace was the rage in Europe, collars and cuffs for men and women, and skirts with lace edging. Here we have threaded white gold delicately with 97 brilliant white diamonds, then set an unusually long oval, rare pink Maine tourmaline in the middle, and finally framed in all 14K yellow gold.
Confidence
A piece like this is about where you’d like to go and where you will go. It’s about confidence in the future. It’s about the certainty of next month and next year. It speaks volumes about your belief in the strength of the future. Acquire a piece like this, then check your list of upcoming events.
This Lord Byron Tourmaline and Diamond necklace is likely to attend several of this year’s important gatherings. A piece like this confirms your faith in the future. Plus, it’s really pretty, too. The necklace will look English elegant on the evenings you choose to wear it.
Just as Byron’s work represented the embodiment of romanticism in the 19th century, this piece, with its romantic lacy detail, worn on an 18-inch chain sitting two inches from your heart, suggests that romance still exists today.
This is a grand piece of jewelry. First, it’s big; it measures 23.8mm top to bottom, just under an inch. Its center gem is a 9 x 6mm oval pink Maine tourmaline. The gem is a rare size and an even more rare color. The gem was found in 1972 in America’s largest gem discovery on Plumbago Mountain in the western mountains of Maine.
This is the part I find most remarkable: the pink Maine tourmaline is surrounded by a lace of white gold and 97 diamonds. The most remarkable part is that the 97 diamonds weigh .28 carats, which means the diamonds are tiny. They are all woven into the lace design. They are so tiny, with the naked eye, they are almost impossible to discern. This is a minor point, but I was astounded to learn these diamonds are all full-cut, which means each diamond was polished with 58 facets. That’s over 5,000 facets!
The white gold lace glitters. The piece is exquisite. The outer frame is 14K yellow gold. The 18-inch chain is our classic Cross Petite Tiff, also in yellow gold. This is a magnificent piece of jewelry, with exquisite detail.
Gold has risen since this was made. Gold was 1,900/oz when this piece was made. Today, gold is twice as much. This piece, at $4,150, is a great value.
Empress Eugenie’s Crown
This is just a note: One of the items in the recent heist at the Louvre Museum was a crown of Empress Eugenie, Napoleon’s wife. It had 1,300 diamonds. Our Lord Byron necklace has 97 diamonds, and although not quite as spectacular as the crown, it’s a very impressive piece.
