A beautiful sterling silver antique sterling silver and Scottish malachite belted garter brooch. To the Victorians this belt and buckle jewellery motif represented safety and security and malachite was associated with wealth and travel, we just love all of this symbolism!
As Victorian brooches go this is quite a small piece. It is crafted in a circular ring and decorated in traditional hand-engraved flourish and zig-zag patterns. It is inlaid in slices of emerald green malachite on the front and the back benefits from an extra long pin that will happily accommodate heavier fabrics.
MATERIALS: sterling silver
GEMSTONE: Scottish malachite
MEASUREMENTS: 1-1/2" (4cm) diameter
WEIGHT: 7.5 grams
DATE: Victorian, circa 1870
HALLMARKS: none, acid tested and verified as sterling silver
CONDITION: in good antique condition with surface wear and signs of use as you might expect in a piece this age. The inlaid slices of malachite have imperfections, we noted some hairline cracks and a couple of chips around the edges however they are secure in the setting with no movement.