A Pair of Chrysoberyl Ear Pendants and Ring, Portugal, Late Eighteenth Century– Photo courtesy of Siegelson
Portugal’s expansive naval exploration and subsequently extensive colonial trading empire during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries helped position the European empire as one of the world’s major economic, political and cultural powers. Just as with any other wealthy country at the time, jewels played a central role in displaying the inconceivable wealth attained by the Portuguese royal court. With the discovery of gold and gems in Brazil, a Portuguese colony, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a new era of overt opulence commenced. Diamonds, emeralds, tourmalines, rubies, aquamarines, topazes, amethysts, and chrysoberyls were found in abundance, vigorously mined and shipped back to Portugal. Once in the hands of craftsmen in the growing jewelry trade, Portuguese goldsmiths, lapidaries and gem setters created beautiful jewels that rivaled those of European makers.
Jewelry during the eighteenth century was usually large in size with gems, each cleaved by hand, set into gold or silver mountings, making this demi-parure a superb example of jewelry from this period.