A late eighteenth century ring, centering a large smoky quartz stone set closed-back and foiled in gold pinched collet setting, engrave decoration to the reverse, with elaborately carved shoulders, size 5.5, 2.9 grams, circa 1790. 

During the early nineteenth century it was common for women to adorn themselves with multiple rings of every shape and style, from amatory rings to mourning rings. As such, a rich diversity of rings from this time period can be observed including rings set with every possible gemstone, typically with stones set closed-back and foiled to enhance the properties of the material. Rings were commonly set in gold, with cut-down collet or rubover settings and often featured heavily engraved and elaborate shoulders. As the century progressed, gemstone quality improved and open-backed settings were used to draw attention to the quality of the cut and color of the stones on display. By the end of the nineteenth century, silver-topped gold was in prominent use and served as a pre-cursor to the use of platinum and white gold in jewelry in the early part of the twentieth century.