Large Silver Brooch with Chalecedony & Agate, Scotland c. 1890

In the middle of the 19th century, a true Scottish fashion broke out in Great Britain, triggered by Queen Victoria. In 1847, Prince Albert acquired Balmoral Castle in Scotland for his royal wife and had it completely renovated, where she spent her summers from then on. In 1868, the Queen published her memoirs Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands, in which she described a walk on which she found so-called "cairngorms" - a stone from the Scottish Highlands. From then on, jewellery with semi-precious Highland stones became a souvenir for English travelers to Scotland, who associated it with the wild romance of the landscape. What makes this jewellery special collector's items to this day is its often very high-quality workmanship and the special symbolic connection with Scotland. This is exemplified by this large, round brooch: the silver is finely engraved by hand, the various agates are perfectly cut and enhance each other's color effect. These historical brooches probably originally had talismanic functions and were used to hold the so-called "fly plaid" of the Scottish men's costume on the shoulder - which explains their size. Prince Albert has also been portrayed in this costume with such a brooch. . However, women in the major European cities also wore "Scotch Pebble" brooches with other motifs, especially in winter on solid fabrics. This beautiful brooch is very well preserved. We were able to discover it in London.

Estimate:£671.04

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