February Jewel of the Month

We’re feeling the love this month with our beautiful heart shaped diamond ring.

This charming heart shaped diamond ring was made by the American jewellery firm Raymond Yard circa 1935.
It is set with an antique brilliant cut heart shape diamond weighing 1.65cts and of F colour and VS1 clarity, claw set in platinum between shoulders each set with a single baguette diamond in rub over setting.
The heart motif has been used in jewellery since the Middle Ages, gaining popularity during the era of courtly love. It is perhaps the most popular and enduring of symbols and each era has found new ways to depict it and embellish it.
Raymond Yard opened the doors to his eponymous jewellery house in 1922 working from a discreet private salon on Fifth Avenue, New York. He soon counted the likes of the Woolworths, Vanderbilts and Fairbanks amongst his clients, due in no small part to John D. Rockefeller Jr., who Yard had come to know in his previous work for the firm Marcus & Co.
The 1930s was a particularly successful decade for Yard, he became known for fine coloured gems, in particular Burma rubies and Kashmir sapphires, together with a fondness for fancy cut diamonds such as this one, which he would use liberally in his designs.
Mixing diamond shapes such as baguettes, marquises, hearts and pear shapes became a Yard trademark and produced a wonderful range of jewels, all set in the finest platinum mounts. This ring is a lovely example of one such jewel, the heart has very pleasing proportions and a lovely open culet which is a hallmark of the characterful old cut stones we value so highly. It is a beautiful, romantic ring now looking for someone new to cherish it.

To see more images and information, click here.