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Antique Serpent & Heart Necklace with fancy cut Garnet & Diamond Eyes, c. 1870
About the Item
Antique Necklace hand made in 18K yellow gold with a serpent and heart motif, the heart and serpent have fancy cut red garnets and the serpent's eyes and nose are rose cut diamonds.
This necklace is in fine condition, 16.25 inches long with the hanging section of the serpent and heart is 1.5 inches. The weight is 30.6 grams. Please note: Our model in the photographs has a medium to large necklace size and hand size.
When in the late 1830's Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (in Germany) proposed to his cousin Queen Victoria with a ring in the form of a snake, he soon became Prince Consort and Victorians soon came to consider serpent motif jewels to be symbols of eternal love.
And, when Albert died in 1860, Victoria, as if to demonstrate her eternal commitment, entered a period of mourning and formal remembrance that lasted for the rest of her life, thereby publicly showing her love decades after Albert's death.
Our 18K yellow gold serpent necklace, circa 1870, is noteworthy for several reasons. First its condition is so special that it can only be described as excellent which is quite a compliment for something more than 150 years old.
Second, the piece presents itself solely with diamonds combined with garnet. The eyes and nose are diamonds. The head and heart are fancy cut garnets hand cut to fit precisely. Garnet has always been considered pleasant but never as esteemed as that other and much loftier red stone, Ruby, which is frequently found in the crown jewels of the empire. We should hurry to add that these garnets in our serpent would still not be considered high jewels.
But the quality of red found in these garnets are undeniably unique, so unique in fact that this vibrantly red garnet is no longer available anywhere in the world today, and was undoubtedly selected for the remarkable, indeed unforgettable, brilliance of its red.
In view of Its history and symbolism relative to eternal love, the stellar condition of its nearly 150 years of its existence and the exemplary quality of its red as love-related colored stones, this piece will hug the neck as few other necklaces and is very easy to wear during the day and into evening. We have seen many serpent motif jewelry from the nineteenth century, this necklace is one of the nicest examples we have encountered.
Simply put - it is an exceptional antique work of art.
All items sold are accompanied by a detailed Statement of Value by our gemologist, as well as all original gemological documentation, if specified in the listing. As always, we guarantee all of pieces to be exactly as represented. Each piece of jewelry arrives in a finely gift-wrapped presentation box.
Over the decades of our stewardship as a small but exemplary purveyor of the jeweler's art, we have strived to offer a fine and authentic selection, in excellent condition, of collectible jewels from all highly sought time periods at competitive prices and even lower prices, if possible. In the process we have had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting remarkable people - some collectors, others just extremely interesting individuals who have taken the time and effort to examine their lives and select things that tend to make them smile, or admire, or just wonder at the exciting endlessly creative and nuanced panoply of jeweled artifacts.
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- Date of Manufacture:1870
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- Seller Location:Aspen, CO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU19220308822
About the Seller
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Established in 1979
1stDibs seller since 2011
631 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Aspen, CO
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
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