"PEACE" Seal Pendant

This one-of-a-kind necklace is composed of:

• Georgian, handed-carved agate intaglio seal with a solid 10k gold bail from the early 1800s and solid 9k gold Victorian chain from the late 1800s. This hand-etched seal features the word "PEACE" along with a crossed olive and palm branch - iconography that has long represented peace. This sloped octagon carved white agate stone slightly graduates to a light orange toward the top of the pendant.
  

• This necklace measures a standard 22” on an antique 9k gold chain, with the pendant measuring 1.5" in height and .75” in width. 

THE HISTORY:

We've all heard of "extending an olive branch" in reference to an offer of peace. The olive branch extends back to biblical times, the ancient Romans, and even Greek mythology. A dove brought back an olive branch to Noah to signal the flood had ended.  In ancient Rome the defeated used to hold up an olive branch for peace. In Greek mythology, Athens is named after the Goddess Athena who brought the olive to the Greeks as a gift after she won a contest with Poseidon, god of the sea. In the early cultivation of the olive it took years for the trees to bear fruit for the harvest, so it was believed that anyone who planted olive groves must be expecting a long period of peace.

As for the palm branch? They have been recognized as a symbol of peace, victory, and eternal life since for centuries. It was a customary practice in the ancient world to welcome home a king by placing palm branches on the ground for him to walk or ride on. The palm branch is incredibly rich in Biblical symbolism: from the Old Testament to the New, palm branches are referenced anywhere from decorative images carved on pillars in King Solomon's temple to welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem.