18k Yellow Gold (0.35ct Pink Sapphires, VIntage Essex Crystal, Enamel

Size 6.5

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Being Crystal rings and earrings are made with vintage Essex Reverse rock crystal. Crafted in the UK in the late 19th and early 20th century, crystal carving and painting has always been a family enterprise. It is one of the few art forms of modern times to develop in secrecy, being passed from one generation to the next.

Rock crystal mined in Brazil and Madagascar is cut with diamond saws and then ground to a perfect cabochon. This procedure could take as many as twenty different grades of polish, and the entire process is done by hand.

Once the stone is shaped, the design is drawn on the reverse side of the crystal with water colour. The image is then etched into the gem with a scribe pencil. The engraving begins with handmade soft teel tools. As many as 250 tools are used to engrave the back of each crystal.

When the image has been completed to the artist's satisfaction, he begins painting the crystal. Just as in the carving phase, the painting is done in reverse. Sometimes the brushes used have only a single hair.