Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Object of the Day: An Antique Pearl and Sapphire Stickpin

With miniature baroque pearls and a princess-cut sapphire set at an angle, this stickpin speaks of early Victorian tastes. Most men these days wouldn’t dream of wearing pearls, but a century ago, and until the 1910’s, it was relatively common for gentlemen’s jewelry to include small pearls. This modified shield-shape is surmounted by an attractively-shaped natural pearl which is balanced by two small pearls on either side of the sapphire and another at the lowest tip of the shield.


Set in 15 karat gold, this pin of British origin also features two naturalistic “sprigs” of gold which almost resemble a wishbone. This stickpin would have been worn during the day as a more casual adornment. Perhaps in another one hundred years, men’s fashions will prominently feature such ornaments. In the meantime, I’ll wait, and continue to collect these beautiful examples.



1 comment:

Doni said...

This one is in the top 10 for the color of the sapphire. It's so hard to find them not too dark or flawed, and not too light to destroy the intensity that makes the sapphires such unworldly shades of fine blue.