HUGE IMPRESSIVE ANTIQUE VICTORIAN 18CT SCOTTISH BANDED AGATE BROOCH C.1860-70

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HUGE IMPRESSIVE ANTIQUE VICTORIAN 18CT SCOTTISH BANDED AGATE BROOCH C.1860-70:
$363.78

Huge Victorian Agate Brooch

Fine and impressive Antique Victorian Scottish Agate brooch.

I love Scottish jewellery, maybe as much as Queen Victorian herself and this is a particularly fine example with it\'s russett colour and creamy bands swirling throughout.

It\'s a nice early one - 1860 - 70 when ladies were wearing big bold jewellery. The manufacture of this is particularly interesting, it\'s thickly plated in 18ct yellow gold in the style of Old Sheffield Plate. You can see where someone has scraped it back (not guilty!) to the base metal core. It\'s a seperate peice of metal \"sandwiched\" rather than electroplated.

Well made, nice hinge and C catch with extended pin*. There is a loup at the side that has a metal chain and pin for safety or you could wear this as an impressivelarge pendant on a chain.

It measures 2 3/4\" (7cm)x 2 1/4\" (5.5cm)

Unmarked - tests as 18ct on base metal.

For a little bit of history about Scottish Agates - see under the pictures below.

K981

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Please Note: All Weights & Measures are Approximate. Unless otherwise stated, any dimensions and estimated weights of gemstones in this description have been determined without un-setting the stones and are, therefore, to be considered only as a probable because of limitations imposed by the mount. The box in the picture is for display purposes only and your item will come in a reproduction antique box unless otherwise img { border:1px solid white } #extgallery3400444 a:hover img { border:1px solid #38f }

*Extended pins on brooches are often a good indicator of period. The pins were made longer and extended beyond the edge of a brooch to accommodate the thicker Victorian fabrics that were pre 1880’s

Scottish Agate or Pebble Jewellery was made popular by Queen Victoria. When she travelled to the Highlands with Prince Albert she fell in love with the dramatic landscape and went on to purchase Balmoral, the rest as they say is history. This love extended to all things Scottish and when the London papers reported that the couple were wearing “polished pebble brooches made from local stones” it set a trend that would last for decades and even spread to Europe.

Written examples of this sweeping fashion are to be seen in the novel written by Elizabeth Gaskell in her novel Cranford (1851) set in the Cheshire village of Knutsford where one of the characters – Miss Pole was wearing no less than 7 Scottish pebble brooches!