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Auction: 26050 - Jewellery & Objets de Vertu
Lot: 45

WILLIAM GRIFFITHS & SONS, AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY HAIRWORK AND PEARL RING
With a central glass panel compartment containing two shades of woven hair and bordered by split pearls.
The ring features engraved shoulders and an interior inscription reading ‘Omnia Vincit Amor | B and N | 1921’.
Marked ‘W.G & S’ for William Griffiths & Sons
Stamped 18CT and 3
Size/dimensions: ring size R (US 8 3/4)
Gross weight: 9.40g

All pearls are present and well matched. The woven hair compartment remains intact. The piece shows light wear consistent with age and is offered in very good condition.


The phrase “Omnia Vincit Amor” (“Love conquers all”), taken from Virgil’s Eclogues, introduces a classical note of enduring affection, while the initials and date suggest a highly personal commission dated 1921. The presence of woven hair beneath glass continues a long-established tradition in British sentimental jewellery, in which hair was preserved as a tangible memento of an individual or relationship. Although strongly associated with the Victorian period, such practices persisted into the early 20th century, particularly in the immediate post-war years when private commemorative jewellery retained emotional significance.



The ring is bordered by split pearls, a conventional motif in mourning and memorial jewellery symbolising tears, purity, and remembrance. Their inclusion, together with the glazed hair compartment, situates the piece within a transitional phase between Victorian mourning traditions and later, more restrained 20th century commemorative jewellery.



As for the maker, William Griffiths & Sons were a Birmingham manufacturing jeweller incorporated in 1916, though with earlier origins under Walter G. Griffith (established 1856). Based in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, the firm was part of a major industrial centre which, by the early 20th century, supported one of the largest concentrations of jewellery manufacturing in the world. William Griffiths & Sons exhibited at the British Industries Fair in 1929 and were known for producing well-executed gold and platinum jewellery, including rings, chains, and commemorative pieces.




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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,500

Starting price
£800