Victorian Reverse Intaglio Stickpin
Border Collie! |
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A vigilant border collie watches from within a dome of rock crystal. The pooch is beautifully sculpted with a finely detailed coat, whiskers and soulful eyes. Crafted in 18kt gold, circa 1880. Victorian jewelers first embraced reverse intaglios (sometimes called "Essex crystals") during the 1860s. These miniature masterpieces were created by an artist meticulously carving an image into the reverse of a polished dome of rock crystal. Then, using brushes as small as a single hair, the image was carefully painted with fine, lifelike details. The reverse of the crystal was often backed with mother of pearl to give the image a luminous, back lit quality. The finest reverse intaglios present a lifelike, nearly three dimensional portrait of the subject that almost appears to spring out of the crystal toward the viewer. This Victorian stickpin of a border collie is a wonderful example. Cost: $775 |  |
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The reverse of the stickpin is as nicely crafted as the front. The back is enclosed with gold to help protect the intaglio crystal and the mother-of-pearl backing. The pin stem is attached with a rams head mount, a form favored in the late Victorian period. Just to the left of the pin the reverse is stamped "18" for the purity of the gold. |
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Here are a few more elegant stickpins from the past ...
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