Vintage 18k Gold Carved Shell Cameo Pendant

This vintage lavalier pendant is an incredibly special piece that will be in your collection and certainly become an heirloom. It features an...

I have a long-held fascination with Victorian hair art and mourning jewelry, and this piece is full of amazing details. In the 19th Century Europe a...

This piece is so special and so rare: it dates to the Victorian era, more specifically the 1860s, and was likely made in Britain. It is crafted from vulcanite and features a teardrop shape with a high relief bunch of grapes in intricate detail, surrounded by a border of carved beads, strung on a fine black ribbon, to be worn as choker. (I love it strung on the Victorian Jet Choker pictured, which is also available in my shop.) The vulcanite has this truly stunning, relatively matte finish, with a rich warm glow— it's just so unique and unlike any other material. What is vulcanite? It is made by combining the sap of the Euphorbia or Ficus trees from Malaysia, with sulphur. It was originally invented in 1843 by Thomas Hancock. His timing just happened to be spot-on: black had long been considered essential to mourning jewelry and mourning dress, but thanks to Queen Victoria's extended 40 years of grieving (for her husband, Prince Albert), from about 1860-1890, black was considered a highly fashionable color, and began to be worn outside mourning dress. During this period, vulcanite became a very fashionable material for jewelry, and it loaned objects that gothic, romantic, dramatic black cast that Victorians just loved. Victorian mourning jewelry is rife with grape motifs; for one, grapes were a symbols of Christ (as wine is the blood of Christ). On Victorian grave markers, a cluster of grapes typically means that the deceased was of mature years. Victorians are well known for using flowers and botanicals as a means of communication. Wild grapes, according to The Language of Flowers published in 1913, are symbols of Charity, a favorite Victorian theme. NOTE: The Victorian Hair Mourning...

This gorgeous crystal waterfall necklace was crafted from fine Czech crystal in 1950s. The crystals are beautifully faceted, in orange and a milky ivory hue, on a silver chain— the c...

This antique pendant (circa 1870) features a carved shell cameo of a beautiful woman set in 12k gold with a fresh water pearl dangle. The piece measures 3.3 inches from the top of t...

A carved open back shell cameo in an oval filigree setting, hanging on a complimentary fine chain necklace. Pendant is 10K gold, circa late 1800s, Victorian. Complimentary chain is 1...

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

Antique pendant/brooch with hand carved Shell cameo depicting Demeter - Greek Goddess of the harvest and agriculture, who presided over grains and the fertility of the earth She has ...