This 18k yellow gold stickpin was originally worn in a man's cravat, the predecessor of the necktie.
It is shaped like two curled laurel branches, with a small single-cut diamond at its center. The laurel has been used as a symbol of victory and triumph since the ancient Greeks crowned victors of the Olympic games with a laurel wreath. The god Apollo was also often depicted wearing a laurel crown.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 72 mm long, the laurel element measures 14 x 12 mm.
Weight: 2.30 grams
Age: 19th Century, Victorian era, circa 1880s.
Material: Hallmarked with a French hallmark for 18k gold, used after 1838.
Condition: In great antique condition with only minor signs of wear, consistent with age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes.