Acrostic Jewelry

Acrostic jewelry (a.k.a. regard jewelry or language of stones jewelry) appears to have begun in the earliest nineteenth or perhaps the latest eighteenth century. Popular in England, France, and America, acrostic jewelry spell out sentimental mottos with the first letter of the name of each stone. For example, “regard” may be formed by this particular combination of stones:

Ruby
Emerald
Garnet
Amethyst
Ruby
Diamond.

Brooch with “regard” spelled in paste. Scale in centimeters.

Regard ring with natural stones.

The most common acrostic mottos are “regard” and “dearest,” and less common are “adore” and “love,” which is spelled:

Lapis
Opal
Vermeil (an archaic name for garnet)
Emerald.

Napoleon commissioned at least four acrostic bracelets to commemorate important sentimental events, births, marriages, and so forth, with names and dates spelled out in stones:

Natrolite
Amethyst
Peridot
Opal
Lapis
Emerald
Onyx
Natrolite.

Other rare acrostics include names, “souvenir,” “pet,” and “darling.” This ring is the only piece of jewelry that I’ve ever seen with the acrostic “darling” spelled:

Diamond
Amethyst
Ruby
Lapis
Iolite
Nephrite
Garnet.

WARNING: Don’t get ripped off. Acrostic jewelry is still made today. Be especially careful when buying “dearest” and “regard” jewelry. Familiarize yourself with what the new ones look like and beware of pieces labeled “vintage” as these may not be the antique (i.e. Victorian or Edwardian) examples sought after by collectors, but may nonetheless be priced as antiques. I have seen modern “love,” “regard,” and “dearest” jewelry being sold at exorbitant prices by online antiques dealers who should know better. Shame on them. On the other hand, if you’re any good at identifying stones, you can sometimes find rare or unusual acrostic jewelry offered at exceptionally low prices by dealers who are ignorant of what they have.