General Information:
- Total Carat Weight: 10.82 ct
- Precious Metal Weight: 2.43 dwt
- Precious Metal Material: Gilt base metal, which means a very thin top layer of gold (likely a higher karat) over a more inexpensive metal core)
- Dimensions: This brooch measures 45.36 mm long x 18.56 mm wide x 13.51 mm back to front including the stem to the brooch's reverse.
- Weight: A wonderfully hefty 3.78 grams
- Markings: Unmarked
- Era: This brooch's construction, motif and fabrication style reveal that it dates to the latter mid Victorian years, sometime between the 1870s and the 1890s.
- Buyer Notes: Wonderfully unique and exceptionally stylish, this brooch is an opportunity to own a staple Victorian jewel at an affordable rate. Please read below to understand this brooch's fullest symbolism and rich context. Please also kindly note that, after scrutinizing under close inspection, the lower right hand corner/side of the wrist/cuff area MAY actually be shaped as such due to a historic chip to the glass. This piece has been in the seller's personal collection for many years, and only upon formally listing it for sale was this characteristic even noticed. The area is not whatsoever, shows no readily visible conchoidal fracture pattern, and indeed, simply appears as an intentional arc of the hand's silhouette. This is described for buyer transparency and the price has been set to reflect this time-earned imperfection.
Specifications:
- Center Stone Type: Glass (pressed)
- Center Stone Count: One (1)
- Center Stone Carat Weight: 10.82 ct by formula per the specific gravity of glass and using the unique dimensions below.
- Center Stone Dimensions: Estimated 19.30 x 9.50 x 5.95 mm, as measured within the mounting as the setting permits.
- Center Stone Shape: Formed in a glass mold; three-dimensional human hand shape
- Center Stone Color: Cornflower to periwinkle blue
- Center Stone Clarity: Milky to opaque with high-polish finish
The Story:
A unique antique jewel with ample history, this piece is loaded with symbolism and is offered as an affordable opportunity to inherit a treasure of the Victorian era. This piece is not considered "fine", but is certainly no less special than its higher end counterparts. It is fabricated in gilt metal, presenting a golden toplayer as a background to a pressed glass central component that is formed to appear as a lady's hand gracefully gripping a hunting whip. The plaited whip seems to be in motion, snaking around the wrist of the wrangling hand and also encircling the hand that holds it. And yet, the hand remains poised and in measured control.
The brooch's primary framework that is crafted to resemble a braided leather hunting whip specifically recalls a kind used in fox hunting. Though somewhat controversial today, the ritual of the fox hunt has important roots in European (especially British) rural culture, with origins beginning in the early 1530s. It began as a method of fox population control and healthy deer population balance, and quickly developed into a social attraction throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The oldest hunt in England is the Bilsdale Hunt in Yorkshire, which was first hosted by George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham back in 1668. With Industrial Revolution in the mid to late 18th century, fox hunting's popularity as a top-tier invitational and imbibing event spread throughout Europe.
Between 2002 and 2005, laws against hunting foxes and hunting with dogs passed across the United Kingdom, though the socio-cultural entertainment value of "the chase" still captivates popular culture, jewelry collectors and history lovers alike. The whip design speaks to the the role of the "Whipper-In", which acted as an assistant to the primary Huntsman, and whose responsibility it was to keep the hounds engaged as a unified pack. In this brooch, the whip symbolizes leadership, the burden of authority and guidance, and acts as something of a badge to honor the power of such a role.
Further enhancing the brooch's meaning, the glass hand's color is equally symbolic, as it is meat to evoke the iconic color associated with the Forget-Me-Not flower, a bloom which--true to its name-- was popular within sentimental and mourning jewelry during the Georgian and Victorian eras. The Forget-Me-Not was traditionally exchanged between lovers separated by distance and unavoidable circumstances, gifted in humble reassurance of fidelity and respect. The bluish-milky glass presents this brooch as an announcement of loyalty transcending the confines of time and circumstance, while the whip symbolizes multifaceted courage.
The end of the 1800s saw a surge in glass-molded forms implemented into jewelry, as glass center "stones" opportuned drama with a much lower cost than natural mined and hand-carved gemstones. As the breadth of the middle-class grew during this period due to the concurrent socio-economic circumstances, so too did the demand for affordable ornamentation that rivaled the the beauty and presence of higher quality jewels made of purer materials such as high karat gold and fine gemstones. The dawning of this era of affordable jewels by the burgeoning middle class became the precursor to the so-called costume jewels of the 20th century. As such, this piece finds its niche within an essential window of jewelry and cultural history, a rare and exceptional relic of a powerfully transitional period of time.
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General Information: All additional jewelry boxes, ring boxes, and other jewelry items pictured alongside a featured listing are considered props, are for photographic and display purposes only and are not included in the transaction unless otherwise noted. Items do not come with physical documentation, appraisals, or certifications, unless explicitly stated in the item description and/or title. While jewelry is inspected upon procurement by the shop as well as prior to shipment, Revival Fine Jewelry cannot guarantee a warranty once items leave our inventory, given the delicate and individual nature of secondhand articles and the unaccountability of buyer handling post-purchase.
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Regarding Brooches & Pins: Often significantly and curiously undervalued jewelry items, brooches, pins and stick pins are treasured pieces of history in this shop. Accordingly, their pricing is calculated analogous to other fine jewelry, including their symbolic meaning, rarity and historical prestige. Such pieces are typically converted to other forms of jewelry, and are therefore becoming increasingly rare in their original states. Aside from being perfectly wearable as sophisticated lapel ornaments, brooches and pins of all kinds are prime candidates for many kinds of fine jewelry conversions, including rings, earrings, pendants, and charms, if so desired by the consumer post-purchase. Revival Fine Jewelry does not perform conversion projects for customers.
Regarding Storage & Boxes: All specifications, including but not limited to the measurements, age, origins, and material compositions are supplied in good faith as professional estimations constructed using professional grade tools, years of learned and honed skills, educational resources and academic scholarship, and refined research methods. Regardless of our confidence in our descriptions and the photographs deemed viable extensions of these descriptions, we cannot guarantee the definitiveness, faultlessness, or exactitude beyond our knowledge and expertise. Kindly keep in mind that this and all items are sold as-is vintage, antique and estate secondhand wares, and consequently bear conditional wear in matter and operation commensurate with age and use.
More information on these, and more, topics may be found in the shop policies.
All layaway terms may be found here, and all shop policies may be found here.
Layaway is available for full priced, non-sale items priced $600.00 USD or greater, and items may not be combined to attain price-eligibility. Plans are offered as 3-month/90-day maximum terms.
In exchange for offering interest-free plans, customers agree to abide and uphold the following nonnegotiable terms and conditions:
- A 30% deposit is due upfront to reserve the item for layaway and pull it from public sale on all of our shopping platforms. Shipping expenses are added to this first payment unless otherwise requested.
- The remaining 70% balance is divided up into three subsequent monthly payments due on the same day of the following three months. If delinquent, a $20.00 USD late fee is added per day to an overdue payment until paid.
- In the event that a layaway installment is left unpaid for seven (7) days and no communication is received from the designated customer, the layaway plan will be presumed abandoned. While the item will be returned to public sale, all payments made hitherto are still considered final.
Layaway items are promptly boxed and shipped to the designated customer once the final payment successfully processes. Taxes, import and other legal fees are not calculated into the payments, and are the sole responsibility of the customer, whether a domestic US or international buyer. Revival Fine Jewelry is not responsible for calculating, covering or adding such costs into purchase prices.
All layaway payments as well as all items purchased through layaway plans are considered final sale; neither payments nor items may be refunded, transferred, exchanged or returned. Revival Fine Jewelry does not issue store credit.
Revival Fine Jewelry reserves the right to cancel any layaway plan at any point for any reason if fraudulent activity is suspected. In this event, the designated customer will be notified prior to the intended cancellation of their plan.
Request a layaway plan via email here. Remember to specify your desired item by providing its link, title or SKU/code.