Ring
1800-1869 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Tourmaline shows the greatest colour range of any gemstone. Pink or green stones are most popular. The colour of tourmaline varies according to the direction in which the crystal is viewed. Some green or blue tourmaline can appear almost black if viewed down the length of the crystal. It is therefore important that the crystal is correctly positioned when being cut.
This ring forms part of a collection of 154 gems bequeathed to the V&A by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, a cleric and poet. Sir A. H. Church gave additional specimens in 1913. He also compiled the first catalogue Precious Stones: A Guide to the Townshend Collection. The first edition appeared in 1883. The stones are mounted as rings, although they may not have been intended to be worn.
Townshend purchased a number of stones, including this one, from Henry Philip Hope, the brother of the novelist and antiquary Thomas Hope. H.P. Hope formed a famous collection of diamonds and precious stones including the Hope blue diamond, now in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
This ring forms part of a collection of 154 gems bequeathed to the V&A by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, a cleric and poet. Sir A. H. Church gave additional specimens in 1913. He also compiled the first catalogue Precious Stones: A Guide to the Townshend Collection. The first edition appeared in 1883. The stones are mounted as rings, although they may not have been intended to be worn.
Townshend purchased a number of stones, including this one, from Henry Philip Hope, the brother of the novelist and antiquary Thomas Hope. H.P. Hope formed a famous collection of diamonds and precious stones including the Hope blue diamond, now in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Faceted blue-green tourmaline, set in gold |
Brief description | Blue-green tourmaline set in gold ring, made in Europe, 1800-1869 |
Physical description | Ring with a deep green, oblong faceted tourmaline in a gold coronet mount. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Bequeathed by the Rev. Chauncy Hare Townshend |
Object history | The Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend bequeathed his important collection of 154 gems to the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) in 1869. Although the collection is not as comprehensive as that found at the Natural History Museum, it is of particular historic interest as its formation pre-dates the development of many synthetic gemstones and artificial enhancements. All the stones were mounted as rings before they came to the Museum, mainly in a series of standardised gold settings, often of the coronet or galleried type. However, several specimens are set with greater elaboration, with diamond borders surrounding the central stone. Some of these were originally in the possession of Henry Philip Hope (d.1839), a brother of the novelist and antiquary Thomas Hope (c. 1770-1831). H.P. Hope formed a famous collection of diamonds and precious stones which was largely inherited by his three nephews. His collection, which included the Hope blue diamond, now in the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, was catalogued by B. Hertz in 1839. Townshend is recorded as having made purchases from it and his acquisitions are noted below. He also seems to have remounted several of his purchases, in whole or in part. |
Summary | Tourmaline shows the greatest colour range of any gemstone. Pink or green stones are most popular. The colour of tourmaline varies according to the direction in which the crystal is viewed. Some green or blue tourmaline can appear almost black if viewed down the length of the crystal. It is therefore important that the crystal is correctly positioned when being cut. This ring forms part of a collection of 154 gems bequeathed to the V&A by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, a cleric and poet. Sir A. H. Church gave additional specimens in 1913. He also compiled the first catalogue Precious Stones: A Guide to the Townshend Collection. The first edition appeared in 1883. The stones are mounted as rings, although they may not have been intended to be worn. Townshend purchased a number of stones, including this one, from Henry Philip Hope, the brother of the novelist and antiquary Thomas Hope. H.P. Hope formed a famous collection of diamonds and precious stones including the Hope blue diamond, now in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1321-1869 |
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Record created | February 17, 2003 |
Record URL |
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