Albie Carved Crystal Beetle

The Story:

• This Victorian beetle carved in smoky quartz with delicate gold wire legs and antennae is not only exemplary of the stone carving work in the 1800s, but a piece that nods to the  Egyptian Revival design movement. This insect sits on a carved rock crystal base with a matching stone bail. 
  

This piece was originally made and sourced in England and measures 0.5" wide and 1.5" from the bottom of the pendant to the top of the bail and is in excellent condition for it's age. 

THE HISTORY:

Insects were an incredibly popular motif in Victorian jewelry. Butterflies and caterpillars were common, as were dragonflies and beetles. Insects like these reflected change and transformations in life - embracing it rather than fearing it.

Partly inspired by the Ancient Egyptians and in part by a renewed love of nature and the countryside in light of rapid urbanization, natural motifs such as insects were seen as genteel, nurturing and virtuous.

It was in the 1860s that Victorian women first began to wear beetles and other insect motifs on their clothes and accessories, with parasols, hats, and shawls often featuring bejeweled and gilded insects, as well as bracelets, earrings, and rings.

This pendant is photographed with our Large Gold Filled Charm Chain but pairs nicely with any necklace in our Classics Collection or with a chain of your own on one of our Swivel Clasps.