This 18k yellow gold brooch is shaped as a coiling snake, which has tiny cabochon-cut ruby eyes, and a head that is set with a cabochon-cut sapphire and two rose-cut diamonds.
The back of the brooch shows a large hook, which was originally used to hold a ladies' pocket watch chain.
The snake has been used as a motive in jewellery for millennia. It is seen as a symbol of both wisdom and eternity and therefore often symbolizes either eternal love, the circle of life, and hope of life after death. This little snake was made in the middle of the 19th Century, when snake jewellery had a peak in popularity, after Prince Albert famously gifted Queen Victoria an emerald-encrusted snake ring for their engagement in 1839.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 33 x 28 mm.
Weight: 6.0 grams.
Age: 19th Century, also known as the Victorian era, circa 1880s.
Material: Hallmarked with a French hallmark for 18k gold.
Condition: In great antique condition with only minor wear, consistent with age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes.