Yellow gold, lavishly set with striated agates and diamonds.
The striated agates mounted in this Victorian brooch have been carefully selected and skillfully carved to highlight their contrasting hues; the horseshoe motif is consistently popular, symbolic of good fortune, protection, and prosperity.
English, c.1880.
4.5 cm high by 4.4 cm across
Provenance
Exhibited:
From Function to Fantasy, The Brooch, Wartski, London, October 2025, no. 54.
The agates demonstrate the versatility of chalcedony as a material; the distinctive layering within the stone has been exploited by gem engravers in cameos, and also for their own beauty. Agates incorporating white striations are polished, mounted and juxtaposed in the brooch, demonstrating the natural beauty of the earth’s mineralogical resources, and the dexterity of the lapidary.