Antique gold snake necklace with diamonds, England circa 1850

Victorian Viper Chic

Antique gold snake necklace with diamonds, England circa 1850

€ 14,980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Description

This description was automatically translated from German. If you have any questions about this piece of jewellery, we will be happy to help!

The snake has fascinated people since ancient times. On the one hand, it was feared for its venom and cunning and avoided as the temptress of Eve in paradise, but on the other hand it was admired for the many abilities attributed to it: It was regarded as a symbol of eternal life, as the cleverest animal on earth and at the same time as a symbol of the god of healing, Asclepius. Jewellery with snake motifs can therefore be found in all eras, but in the early 19th century in particular, such designs gained renewed popularity. Derived from the ancient Ouroboros, the infinity symbol of a snake biting its own tail, snake jewelry now became a symbol of eternal love. Even Queen Victoria wore a snake-shaped engagement ring. And this necklace also stems from this fashion. The body of the snake is made up of scaly gold links that are joined together to create the impression of a living animal. The head of the snake is set with 36 diamonds in historical rose cuts. A total of around 7.50 ct of diamonds are set. The diamonds sparkle softly and discreetly. The eyes of the snake are made of natural rubies. Finally, the cheeks of the snake are set with blue garnet glass doublets, which were new at the time. In these gemstones, a wafer-thin slice of natural red garnet is set on a body of blue glass, and the two materials are faceted together. This creates stones that have a high level of light refraction due to the garnet and therefore sparkle much more than glass alone. The use of such doublets only came to an end with the introduction of synthetic gemstones in the early 20th century. The pieces of jewellery can be worn in two ways: as a necklace, when the side clasp is used, or as a bracelet, when the snake is looped twice around the arm and closed with the clasp in the mouth. We discovered the snake here in Berlin and had the enclosed antique case fitted for it.

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For details on the motif of the snake in the history of jewelry, see the exhibition catalog Fritz Falk (ed.): Serpentina. Die Schlange im Schmuck der Welt, Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, 26.11.2011-26.2.2012, Stuttgart 2011.

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Size & Details

Victorian Viper Chic

€ 14,980.00 ^*

Content 1 piece

Incl. VAT, Shipping

Our Promise

We want you to be 100% satisfied! For that reason, we examine, describe and photograph all of our jewellery with the utmost care.

You can rely on our years of experience in the trade and our expertise as a professional art historians for reviews of the antique jewellery. As a member of various trade organisations and the British Society of Jewellery Historians, we remain committed to the highest possible degree of accuracy. In our descriptions, we always also indicate any signs of age and defects and never hide them in our photos – this saves you from any unpleasant surprises when your package arrives.

Should you for some reason not be satisfied, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can find a solution together. In any case, you can return any article within one month and we will refund the full purchase price.

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Victorian Viper Chic

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