This 14k yellow gold snake brooch depicts two entangled snakes, one set with a cushion-cut ruby, and the other with a rose-cut diamond.
Snakes have been used as a motive in jewellery for millennia, but reached its peak in popularity in the mid-19th Century, after Prince Albert famously gifted Queen Victoria an emerald-encrusted snake ring for their engagement in 1839. They were seen as symbols of both wisdom and eternity, and their depiction often conveys eternal love and the circle of life and death.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 54 mm long.
Weight: 4.90 grams.
Age: Early 20th Century, circa 1910s.
Material: Hallmarked with a Dutch hallmark for 14k gold, used between 1905 and 1952.
Condition: In good antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes only. This shop is based in the EU. Although antiques are exempt from taxes in most countries, buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import taxes.