I take regularly scheduled inventory trips to Europe to offer you a selection of carefully curated antiques. These have all been hand picked one at a time and most are one of a kind.
ABOUT:
This one would make an awesome extender or connector as well as a pendant WITH pendant holder. This French antique brooch is crafted in glowing 18k gold, appearing with such a rich patina that can't be found on modern gold.
The head is set with an emerald (or green tourmaline?) and it has little ruby eyes. The body of the snake coils around giving the piece a striking figural motif.
This one was probably originally a pocket watch holder, as it has a little hook at the back under the head which now makes it a great pendant holder. Note that it currently has no loops to hang from a chain, only the pin back, as I will leave it up to the buyer to work with their jeweler to determine how exactly they would want to style it. Many of us wear this brooches as is, or attach a chain to each side for use as a connector. But if loops were added to the back on each side, it could be worn at center, with the ability to swap out pendants to hang from the hook at the bottom, or it could be worn to the side as well.
Rich antique patina in glowing 18k gold.
The Victorians were fascinated with nature and also with jewelry, and we see some wonderful designs come from the period incorporating both of these delights. As the figural pieces of the Victorian era often held a symbolism, snakes represented the duality of good and evil, as well as being symbols of death and rebirth or immortality, transformation and healing, and even fertility. This motif was highly popularized by Queen Victoria who received a snake ring from Prince Albert who designed it after the Roman belief that the intertwined snake represented eternal and everlasting love.
Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Some of my buyers "draw out" an example to get an idea of scale in person.
French antique hallmark for 18k gold used in the 1800s on the pin post and catch.
Antique Boxes, props, hooks, chains, mice : ) not included. I just used some staging chains to show examples of how to wear.
SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:
Weight is 2.4g of 18k solid gold. The body is a tube of gold with vacant space in between.
23mm by 23mm with a nice 3D depth.
IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:
A little wear to the emerald under magnification but no dings or dents, amazing patina, still well shaped with no real damage.
Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : ) There are no dark spots to the gold, it was just difficult to photograph because it is so shiny and mirrored that it reflects its surroundings including the green trees out the window.
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )
Thanks so much for looking at my items!
SOCIAL:
Please feel free watch @mouseshouseantiques on Instagram for inventory drops, sneak peaks and previews! And check out my website www.MousesHouseAntiques.com as I can add more pics there so you can get extra looks : )
All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).
Box#tc.1@52
