This 18k yellow gold snake is engraved with a scale pattern, and set with two seed pearls and a rose-cut diamond. Originally, he was worn as a slider pendant, and would have been worn with a leather or cotton lace. Somewhere in the past, someone added a jump ring at its tail, which not also makes it wearable as a more conventional pendant. His beak is however still open, making it still wearable as a slider.
The snake has been used as a motive in jewellery for millenia. It is seen as a symbol of both wisdom and eternity, and therefore often symbolizes either eternal love, the circle of life, and hope of life after death.
This little snake was made in the middle of the 19th Century, when snake jewellery had a peak in popularity, after Prince Albert famously gifted Queen Victoria an emerald-encrusted snake ring for their engagement in 1839.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 32 x 12 x 8 mm.
Weight: 3.50 grams.
Age: 19th Century, also known as the Victorian era, circa 1860s.
Material: The brooch no longer carries any hallmarks but has been acid tested as being 18k gold.
Condition: This brooch is in good antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with age. The central stone was missing and was replaced by me by an antique rose-cut diamond.
Please note that this store is based in the EU. Buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import duties and VAT.