DATE: Victorian, c.1870

A superb antique pebble bracelet and brooch set made in Scotland in the latter half of the 19th century. It comprises a series of graduated discs, each one featuring a Cairngorm citrine that forms the top of a dome with triangular cut-out sections to create a star motif around it. The gold is finely engraved with abstract foliate detailing, and inlayed with colourful varieties of agate and hardstone, including jasper, Montrose agate, granite, and bloodstone. 

Scotland is known for its abundance of coloured agate which is found in a huge variety of colours and patterns, each type specific to a particular locality. Lapidaries working in Edinburgh's "new town" made most of the pebble jewellery produced in the 18th and 19th centuries, sourcing stones from collectors who scoured the country in search of new deposits. Queen Victoria's love for all things Scottish generated a buoyant demand for jewellery of this style, and it's estimated that the number of people working in jewellery manufacturing in the 1870s exceeded two thousand. 

STONES 

Citrine & Agate

MEASUREMENTS 

Bracelet wearable length: 7 3/4 inches

Bracelet width: 3.2cm (at widest point)

Brooch: 5.2cm

WEIGHT 

Bracelet: 46.5g

Brooch: 28.5g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as 15k gold

CONDITION 

Excellent