Antique English Crystal Jewellery: a passport to other worlds?

‍Reverse intaglio crystal, also known as English Crystal, is a crystal cut in the form of a cabochon, either shallow or domed, that is carved in intaglio on its flat back with a motif that is realistically painted in minute detail and is surrounded by a transparent ground. The deeper the carving, the more pronounced the three-dimensional trompe l'oeil effect, which is sometimes enhanced by a backing of a thin layer of mother-of-pearl.

The carved motif, for pieces mounted in a circular gold band as a tie pin, cuff links, button, or studs for men, was usually a racing horse, game bird, or dog. For pieces in a brooch or a locket for women, a floral design or a monogram was common; some examples depict an insect or a coaching scene.

The technique was originated by Émile Marius Pradier of Belgium around 1860 (he made the only known signed example). In England, it was developed by Thomas Cook in the early 1860s and carried on by his pupil Thomas Bean, and the latter's son Edmund and grandson Edgar (d. 1954).

After the popularity of the pieces in the late Victorian era, the high quality deteriorated by the 1920s, when examples were also being made in France and the United States. Some modern pieces depicted motor cars and aeroplanes. The crystals have long been identified with the Hancocks firm.

The crystals have sometimes been referred to by the misnomers 'Essex Crystal' or 'Wessex Crystal', owing to the erroneous assumption that they were decorated around 1860 by the enamel portrait painter William Essex (d. 1869). Imitations have been made of carved and painted glass, and even of a glass cabochon above a printed paper design.

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Click here to get to this Maine Coon Cat English Crystal brooch.‍