General Information:
- Total Carat Weight: 8.652 ctw (inclusive of all inlaid shells)
- Precious Metal Weight: Approximately 0.237 ozt
- Precious Metal Material: Sterling silver with very rich patina
- Dimensions: 40.12 north to south (length) x 33.8 east to west (width) x 3.82 rise (depth)
- Weight: A very nice 7.38 grams
- Markings: STERLING is stamped to the brooch’s reverse.
- Era: We are estimating that this brooch dates to the late Victorian period to early Edwardian period; specifically, we estimate it to date to between 1890 and 1900. However, beyond what our years of collecting, dealing, learning and refining our expertise enable us to determine, we cannot ascertain a more precise date range than this without knowing an exact provenance.
- Buyer Notes: This brooch is a lovely relic from over a century ago, with charming age perfectly commensurate with the piece’s date and its affectionate use over the last 120 years. The edges of the shell show wear, but no inlaid shell tablets are loose. The shells’ individual characters and the moody silver backing together create a beguiling and timeless jewel. The time-earned patina that covers the sterling silver frame has been left untouched and unbuffed, as such a rich patina is highly desirable by collectors. The brooch still boasts its original base metal closure mechanism and open c-clasp, standard technologies employed in jewelry through about 1900, after which point locking clasps were used. This pin closure along with other researched factors date the piece to sometime between 1890 and circa (pre)1900. In suit with the brooch’s age, it is very likely that it was originally worn at the waist and/or on a sash given its large scale.
Specifications:
- Center Stone Type: Abalone shell
- Center Stone Count: Three (3)
- Center Stone Carat Weight: By formula per the lowest specific gravity of abalone (for conservative calculations), and correlating to the three sets of dimensions below, 2.673 ct, 2.648 ct and 3.331 ct
- Center Stone Dimensions: 32.1 x 5.6 mm; 31.8 x 5.6 mm; 26.35 x 8.5 mm (approximate estimations and measured within bezel mountings so as to preserve the piece’s integrity)
- Center Stone Shape: Cut arced tablets
- Center Stone Color: Impressive range from blue-green to purpley-gray to white; all have iridescence which refracts in rainbows of jewel tones
The Story:
Hailing from the earliest decade of the 20th century, this colorful and oversized horseshoe brooch is a bold take on the classic lucky jewel. This piece features a trio of varying abalone shell inlays that were hand carved to fit the three components of the brooch. These shell inlays also showcase three different primary colors, one being blue-green, one being creamy white and the third being purpley-gray. Of course, all three explode in iridescent bursts of color, creating jewel-toned rainbows that dance with the wearer’s movement and are exciting from every angle. Abalone is said to be a deeply symbolic material, as it is believed to assure stability and strength and enhances spirituality of the heart.
The horseshoe motif has long been popular as a symbol of both fortune and protection, two themes that have influenced jewelry for thousands of years. During the Victorian period, novelty and sporting jewelry grew to popularity as early as the first quarter of the 19th century, and by the 1870s, they were a dominant favorite by ladies and gentleman consumers alike. Horseshoes were meant to allude to the support of equestrian sports just as much as good fortune, leaning most often toward the latter representation as the Victorian era drew to a close. It is said that if the horseshoe is worn U-shape upward, the wearer is catching good luck. Duly, if the horseshoe is worn U-shape downward, the wearer is bestowing good luck on those whom they encounter. Horseshoe jewelry was typically gifted as a celebratory gesture, intended as a blessing over the recipient.
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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.
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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.
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Request a layaway plan via email here. Remember to specify your desired item by providing its link, title or SKU/code.