A wonderful Victorian carved Whitby jet brooch in a stylised snake form. An ever popular jewelry motif during the Victorian era the snake represented eternity and everlasting love and snake designs were often incorporated into the Whitby jet jewellery that was favoured by well heeled ladies who wore it almost exclusively during their lengthy mourning periods.
The brooch is generously sized in an oval shape with a gently pillowed profile. The jet is beautifully carved in a stylized snake form with lots of very attractive detailing. Holes incorporated into design go all the way through to the back and there is a peephole in the centre. The central snake motif is punched out in a circle and dot pattern loosely representing the snakes skin.
Master carved by hand, we absolutely love this incredibly intricate design, it leaves no room for error or the precious jet would have been wasted. The brooch has sterling silver fittings which is unusual, typically even good jet brooches like this one were fitted with brass findings so this lifts this impressive brooch out of the ordinary too.
Not to be confused with French Jet, which is glass, Whitby Jet is a fossilized mineral gemstone millions of years old that is only found in and around the cliffs at Whitby, a seaside hamlet in England. Although jet is found in several countries the jet found in Whitby is considered to be of the best quality in the world! The last photo shows 4 good Whitby jet brooches (including this one) so you can see the fascinating variety of brooches available to the lucky Victorians.
MATERIALS: sterling silver
GEMSTONE: Whitby jet
MEASUREMENTS: 2" (5cm) wide, 1-1/2" (4cm) tall
WEIGHT: 10.7 grams
DATE: circa 1870, Victorian
CONDITION: in excellent antique condition with no chips or cracks in the jet and the pin back in perfect order. There are the usual tooling marks on the back that you would expect to see in a hand wrought piece of antique Whitby jet jewellery.
At Mercy Madge we offer quality antique and vintage jewellery sourced in Great Britain. All of our pieces are professionally cleaned and polished so they are ready to wear and enjoy or give as a gift.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
* We offer free worldwide shipping on all purchases
* Returns - you can return your item for a refund for any reason. Just get in touch within 3 days of receiving your order and return it within 7 days.
* All gemstones have been tested and verified using a Presidium Gemstone Tester. All measurements and carat weights given are approximations.
* Our photographs have been taken in extreme close up to show you every tiny detail. This often means that any flaws or damage which you can see on the photos will be invisible when viewed normally with the eye. This can also mean that the item can appear larger on the screen than it is in person, so please be sure to read our written description to double check all sizes and dimensions.
* Buying a gift? – your item will arrive gift wrapped in a custom Mercy Madge jewellery box. Please note, unless otherwise stated antique boxes in our photos are for display only and are not included in the purchase.
Materials: Whitby Jet, Sterling Silver.