Antique Tuesday - Victorian

A touch of history ... Victorian parure in Classical style with ancient Roman coins, wire works and lotus.

Fashion in the last quarter of the 19th century was strongly inspired by Etruscan archaeological finds and the Pompeii excavations. Combine this with the impact on the fashion of Egyptian motives caused by opening of the Suez channel in 1870 and then take a good look at this magnificent parure. We see original antique coins, skilfully elaborated filigree work, big red stones and stylized lotus flowers.

circa 1880 - Retail Value $5,768 for the set

It then becomes obvious that the jeweler who made this was not only an excellent craftsman but also very creative in combining the distinctive styles into a typical 19th Century Western European interpretation of different styles of ancient jewelry. To have the piece look even more authentic the good man in his enthusiasm incorporated no less then nine original ancient silver coins.

The age of the coins is around a stunning 2,000 years! It would be too much to describe them all but on the one hanging down in the center we recognize an elephant and the word CAESAR. Gaius Julius Caesar (July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He also issued coins featuring images of elephants, suggesting that he favoured this interpretation of his name.

To the Adin experts, who are used to see a lot of jewelry, it was the thrill of the month to find a silver parure from the Victorian era that has such a strong historical and classical expression. Although Adin hardly ever offer silver jewelry, they are gladly making an exception for this parure. This "piece unique" and looks even more magnificent when being worn. 

Once again, I would like to thank Adin Fine Antique Jewelry.  To see more incredible antique jewelry, please visit their site.