Garnet earring and pendants

Status

On view

Label Text

In 1760 George Washington recorded the receipt of an invoice dated December 26th, detailing his latest purchases from London. Therein he listed "A pair 3 dropt Garnet Earings" bought from a jeweler named J. Grymes to grace the ears of his wife, Martha. Martha Washington was no stranger to garnet jewelry, having received a necklace and hair ornament the year before. In the eighteenth century, "dropt" earrings referred to earrings with removable dangling pendants. Prized for their versatility and elegance, the earrings could be changed to accommodate the occasion for which they were worn.

Read MoreRead Less

Date1760

Maker J. Grymes

Retailer J. Grymes

Geography Retailed - EnglandPossibly made - England

Medium/TechniqueGold, silver, garnet

DimensionsOverall (E1): 1 3/8 in. x 1 in. x 1/8 in. (3.51 cm x 2.54 cm x 0.33 cm) Overall (E2): 1 3/8 in. x 1 in. x 1/8 in. (3.51 cm x 2.54 cm x 0.33 cm) Overall (E3): 7/8 in. x 5/8 in. x 1/2 in. (2.24 cm x 1.6 cm x 1.27 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Walter Gibson Peter, Jr. in memory of Agnes Peter Mott, 1975

Object numberW-2687/E1-E3

DescriptionE1: Drop pendant made from seventeen almandite garnets set in gold-washed silver. The removable ornament is suspended from an integrated loop mounted at the join of a double swag of nine garnets. Attached by a single gem at the terminus of each swag is a bow knot made of eighteen stones. Beneath the center of the knot is a horizontally mounted bar made to receive the third drop. Each gem is backed with foil in a closed setting.

E2: Drop pendant made from seventeen almandite garnets set in gold-washed silver. The removable ornament is suspended from an integrated loop mounted at the join of a double swag of nine garnets. Attached by a single gem at the terminus of each swag is a bow knot made of eighteen stones. Beneath the center of the knot is a horizontally mounted bar made to receive the third drop. Each gem is backed with foil in a closed setting.

E3: Earring made from nineteen almandite garnets set in gold-washed silver. The earring is adorned with a seven stone flower cluster surrounded by a wreath of twelve gems attached to an open ring-lever back ear wire. Each gem is backed with foil in a closed setting.
Published ReferencesLousia E. Brouwer, "What Martha (Washington) Wore: The first First Lady's jewelry and the story of Susanna Passavant, retailer," Magazine Antiques 181/6 (November/December 2014): 130-133.

Carol Borchert Cadou, The George Washingtn Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), 36, 250.

Martha Gandy Fales, Jewelry in America: 1600-1900 (Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Antique Collectors' Club, 1995), 35, 37, 38.

Martha Gandy Fales, "The Jewelry," Magazine Antiques 135/2 (February 1989): 513, 517.

Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.