Belle Epoque Orange Paste Ring

• Paste / Rhinestone / Diamante - Paste (or rhinestone or diamante) is the name given to a coloured glass composition used for imitation gemstones, or to imitation gemstones made of glass.
  
  Although the technique of glassmaking had been known for thousands of years, but it wasn't until a lead glass with similar optical properties to diamonds were invented by a German jeweller working in Paris (either "Stras" or 'Strasser") in the early 18th century that "paste" gemstones became popular.
  
  There was no social stigma attached to wearing imitation stones, and they were worn in situations where highway robbery was a possibility. The 18th century settings were of very high quality, equivilent to real gemstone jewellery.
  
  In the nineteeth century the quality of paste jewellery declined and it has remained the poor cousin to genuine gemstones ever since.
• Faceting - Faceting is a technique of removing material from a curved surface, to give a series of flat surfaces but retaining the profile of the original surface.
  
  The technique is most commonly associated with diamond cutting where the various cuts used such as rose cut and brilliant cut, add life and sparkle to the stone, whilst at the same time removing as little of the stone as possible.
  
  Faceting by grinding is also used to decorate glass. The stems of many drinking glasses are decorated by cutting a series of flat surfaces on a circular stem, and hollow vessels such as vases may have faceted surfaces.
  
  In furniture faceting is often applied to legs of tables and chairs, where a circular baluster shaped section is flattened so as to form an octagonal section.
• Belle Epoque - The Belle Époque, also known as the "Beautiful Era," was a period in European history that lasted from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The term is most commonly associated with France, but is also used to refer to the same period in other countries, particularly in Western Europe and Latin America.
  
  During the Belle Époque, Europe experienced a time of great prosperity and cultural, artistic, and scientific advancements. It was an era of peace and optimism, characterized by industrial growth, urbanization, and new technologies such as electricity, automobiles, and the telephone. The period is also associated with a flourishing of art and culture, particularly in the fields of literature, music, and the visual arts.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• rings, types - wedding ring / band, gold or gold and diamond 885
• rings, various gems / stones - gold not diamonds, other types 4,943