Late Victorian Dragonfly Brooch, Diamond Set Wings and Sapphire Body, circa 1900

Circa 1900, a Victorian dragonfly brooch in 18 carat red gold with silver topped wings, lavishly set with a scatter of old cut and rose cut diamonds. A vivid sapphire forms the body, with two small rubies picked out as eyes, and fine openwork gives the wings a light, floating look despite the sparkle. It sits neatly on the collar or lapel, catching light with every turn, a tiny creature of evening air made in precious materials.

Jewellery Type
brooch

Condition
very good condition
more info on our condition scale

Country of origin
Although the jewel bears French hallmarks, its exact origin is unknown. For an explanation, see the section on hallmarks.

Style
Victorian - Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior decoration. Victorian design is widely viewed as having indulged in a regrettable excess of ornament. The Arts and Crafts movement, the aesthetic movement, Anglo-Japanese style, and Art Nouveau style have their beginnings in the late Victorian era.
See also: Victorian
more info on styles

Period
ca. 1900
Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.

Source of inspiration
Mother Nature

Theme
Dragonflies in cultures - In Europe, dragonflies have often been seen as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's darning needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury. A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil. Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls. The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Øyenstikker", which literally means eye-poker and in Portugal they are sometimes called "tira-olhos" (eye-snatcher).

They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant". The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured.

Images of dragonflies are common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs. They also appear in posters by modern artists such as Maeve Harris. They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.

As a seasonal symbol in Japan, the dragonfly is associated with early and late summer and early autumn. More generally, in Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. The love for dragonflies is reflected in the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan. (From: Wikipedia)

Material 18K
red gogold ld and details in silver (touchstone tested)
more info on precious metals

Diamonds
Fifteen old brilliant cut diamonds with an estimated weight of ± 1.40ct colour and clarity H/L, vs/i
32 rose cut diamonds and senailles . A senaille is a simplified rose cut diamond, a small diamond chip with perhaps a few polished facets. We do not have the weight of the rose cuts diamonds nor the senailles which is normal in our trade when it comes to rose cut diamonds and senailles.

- When we provide weights, colour grades, and clarity of diamonds, these are approximate unless otherwise stated, as we do not remove diamonds from their settings to preserve the integrity of the piece.

- All diamonds, regardless of their size or shape, in our vintage and antique jewellery are verified as 100% natural by the IJGC laboratory.

Precious stones
One sapphire with an estimated weight of ± 0.30ct
Two natural (?) rubies
All color stone weights are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
It is a very common practice to treat gemstones to intensify their clarity or colour. The item in question has not been tested in this regard.

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April, sapphire for September and ruby for July.
more info on birthstones

Hallmarks
Although it carries typical French control marks representing a swan and an owl , we cannot be sure it is actually French as the owl was also used for items in finished condition that were brought to be examined by the French Assay office (the eagle’s head was used for items brought in unfinished).
more info on hallmarks

Dimensions
3,83 cm (1,51 inch) x 3,24 cm (1,28 inch)
see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches

Weight
8,20 gram (5,27 dwt)

Adin Reference Nº
26050-0268

Copyright photography
Adin, fine antique jewellery

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