Dated with a British registration lozenge for 1867 this wonderful Victorian agate brooch evokes the colours and textures of the wild and craggy Scottish highland landscape. Crafted in sterling silver it is set in four pie shaped slices of Scottish hardstones: bloodstone, carnelian, Montrose blue banded and moss agate.
Full of symbolism the brooch is fashioned in a quatrefoil form with a hand-engraved saltire cross motif in the centre. The quatrefoil is a four lobe decoration used extensively in Celtic symbolism, church architecture and heraldry and is thought to bestow good luck. The saltire cross, also known as St. Andrews Cross is used on Scotland's national flag.
The back of the brooch is stamped with a Victorian 'lozenge' mark that was used between 1842 and 1883 . This lozenge mark identifies the day, month and year that the design was registered at the British Patent Office so we can date this brooch to the 21st January 1867 exactly!
In fairly good antique condition with surface wear and signs of age. There are repairs, tooling marks and dings to the back which aren't visible when worn, the pin back is in perfect working order and the agates are securely set. Please see the photos, they are taken in extreme close-up to show you every tiny detail.
A classic and affordable piece of Victorian Scottish pebble jewellery. These genuinely old Scottish brooches are becoming harder and harder to find. They were the height of fashion when Queen Victoria purchased Balmoral Castle in Scotland in 1852, she set off a "Scottish Pebble" craze which meant the jewellery quickly became highly collectable and it still remains that way today!
MATERIALS: sterling silver
GEMSTONES: Scottish agates
HALLMARKS: not marked for metal content, acid tested and verified sterling silver, also stamped with the British registration lozenge mark
MEASUREMENTS: 2" (5cm) wide, 1-1/2" (4cm) tall
WEIGHT: 12.4 grams.
ERA: Victorian circa 1870 (dated 1867)
At Mercy Madge we offer antique and vintage jewellery that is special and each piece is hand selected by us for you. We rarely come across two identical old treasures, once they are gone, they are truly gone!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SHIPPING - FREE SHIPPING worldwide, orders are despatched next business day and sent with full tracking.
RETURNS - you can return your item for a full refund for any reason. Just get in touch within 3 days of receiving your order if you wish to do so.
BUYING A GIFT? - all items will arrive gift wrapped in a Mercy Madge custom jewellery box.
LAYAWAY? - we offer a free layaway plan on any item over £150. A 25% deposit will secure and reserve the item for you with the balance due in 60 days. If you would like to place an item on layaway, please send us a message and we will assist in setting this up for you.
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Materials: Sterling Silver, Scottish Agates.