Agate Pendant Necklaces

A magnificent antique 18th century gold and emerald Iberian pendant. This pendant is truly a piece of history and made in Cordoba, during the late 18th...

The cameo at the center of this exceptional pendant is a stunning example of the art of gem engraving during the Renaissance. It likely dates to the early 17th century and features a sacrificial scene inspired by the Greco-Roman era. The central flaming altar is flanked by two figures preparing to sacrifice a ram, while a figure in a lion skin blowing horns stands in the left corner. The carver brilliantly uses the natural layers of the stone to achieve the illusion of shadow and musculature on the figures. A second, smaller cameo is set at the top of the pendant, while a myriad of multi-colored gems, pearls and enamel adorns the 18K gold setting. A large Baroque pearl suspended from an enamel dragon finishes the design, which embodies the opulence and theatricality of jewels from the Renaissance age. Cameos and intaglios were highly popular amongst wealthy connoisseurs in Renaissance Italy, and owning the finest pieces was the privilege of princes. Although they were often elaborately mounted for display alone, cameos were also frequently worn as pendants, surrounded by enameled and stone-set gold frames. Such pieces were particularly prized by the Medici and Lorraine families, many of which can now be seen at the National Archeological Museum in Florence. Very few Renaissance cameos...

A mid-century vintage cameo brooch pendant made of shell and gold. The shell cameo is beautifully carved into this female silhouette. The ...

Beautiful 18K yellow gold cameo pendant! Size: 7mm X 13.5mm X 5.5mm Length w/ bail: 24mm Weight: 1.5 g/ 0.9 dwt Hallmark: 228 750 Very good condition, professionally polished. ...

There is something so magical to me about vintage and antique cameos: the way the portraits are rendered in such incredible detail seems to tell a person's mystery. This cameo is carved from genuine shell with such impressive precision, and it's set in solid 18k gold. It is both a pendant, and a brooch; the pin back is not visible when it's worn as a pendant, and I love the way the bail dangles down and disappears when it's worn as brooch, making it truly two pieces in one. It was likely made in the 1930s, but it's also possible that the cameo itself was made even earlier, and the brooch fastener was later added around the 1930s or 1940s. This cameo depicts a Spanish woman, wearing a mantilla comb...

This is a 18K gold Cameo brooch/pendant. It depicts an oval shaped orange shell cameo with a relief of a woman bust. The woman has a wavy hair.She is we...

This is an exquisite Stuart Crystal memorial locket from the 17th and early 18th century. Crafted in 18kt yellow gold, this mourning pendant features a rock crystal center adorned wi...

For sale a very rare French antique 18k gold perfume box pendant, adorned with intricate geometric gold motifs reminiscent of delicate honey patterns. Unlocking its secrets reveals ...

18 Karat Yellow Gold Cameo Brooch/Pendant- This elegant cameo features a lovely lady in profile set in beautifully detailed 18K yellow gold. Can be worn as a brooch or a pendant. ...

OCTAGONAL RELIQUARY PENDANT Probably Italy, c. 1600 Fire-gilded brass, glass, velvet, ink on paper Weight 63.2 grams; dimensions 82 × 47 × 21 mm (with loop) Physical description: Double-sided pendant in octagonal form made of fire-gilded brass. Both sides of the pendant with deep profiled frames with glass. The slightly indented side panels comprise openwork friezes with symmetrical scrollwork. On the front is dark red velvet, onto which tiny bone relics of saints (now missing) would have been attached. Labels on a lace-like paper silhouette remain, with names written in ink, mostly faded; only “S. Agnes” is legible. The back is hinged and when opened reveals a velvet-lined interior and paper insert with floral decorations on a turquoise ground, on which fragments of bones are attached. Baluster shaped base for shield-like pendant loop and ring. This reliquary pendant is difficult to situate historically because it is a composite object. It represents traditional handwork in the form of a paper cutout, combined with a jeweler’s beautiful fire-gilt brass case. The work of paper cutting, painting, and ornamentation, sometime combined with needlework, is comparable to work still being done in the nineteenth century by nuns and pious ladies. It is prayerful work, a devotional exercise in itself, and shows reverence to the tiny relic fragments that it would have framed and honored. Early versions of this sort of handiwork might be found in the meticulous displays sometimes called “Paradise Gardens.” These were made, beginning in the sixteenth century, by the nuns at Mechelen, in northern Belgium, in multimedia handwork displays of sewing and gluing, combining relics with paper, cloth, glass, metal wire, and found materials. These textured and pious displays were then combined with paintings and cases by professional artists and artisans, as in the example in Cassel. Unfortunately, because of water damage, only one of the labels of the original relic displayed in this reliquary is legible, inscribed “S. Agnes” at the center top; the other names are faded. Presumably the deep velvet-lined box would have also held an assortment of relics other than the ones that were visible through the glass, and perhaps there would have been another display in the glass on the other side of the pendant. There is a second paper insert, this one decorated with a turquoise ground and silhouette flowers to which bone fragments seem to be still attached. The octagonal case, in contrast to the paper cutout, is not at all “home-made.” It has an openwork frieze in scrollwork patterns familiar from enamel work and other metalwork done for European courts and nobility. It is not unlike cases for expensive watches...

Brooch / pendant in 18 karat yellow gold, eagle's head hallmark. Octagonal shaped with an openwork circle pattern and studded with natural pearls, this pendant holds a cameo on 4-layered agate representing the left profile of a bust woman. The back opens like a medallion to incorporate a photo or lock of hair. For the brooch, the hanging system is a pin with safety hook. The latter bends and the pin unscrews to allow the jewel to be worn as a pendant. The removable bail is in the shape of an openwork lily flower. Height : approximately 5.7 cm, Width : approximatley 3 cm, Cameo Size: 2.1 cm x 2.7 cm. Total weight of the jewel : approximately 18.5 g. Authentic antique jewel - French work of the 19th century, a tiny agate pearl is missing from the elegant necklace, very little visible. Our opinion : Rare, the antique cameo is magnificent. A superb antique collector's item reserved for enlightened amateurs. The story of this jewel : Presented in a shaped and original case in leather and velvet, this jewel was purchased from the prestigious Maison Aucoc...

Antique Gaming Counters are an incredible artifact of a time and lifestyle in which every detail in life was elevated to the highest luxury. To ...