VERY rare Victorian complete set in original plush box ~ possibly 9ct ~ no hallmarks visible so listing as yellow metal

Unusual antique Victorian iridescent scarab beetle bar brooch ~ Gold plated - lace pin dating to c.1870 and earring set. They features genuine beetles carapace ~ the brooch is mounted in a plain setting attached to a thin bar, the earrings are in a claw mounted.

Lace pins are so called because they were frequently used to hold a length of lace at the neckline or at the throat or sometimes to attach drapery at the shoulder, so they were functional as well as decorative. This pin measures 4cm in length. The beetle is 1.47 cm in length, 1.16cm at widest point and 0.9cms in depth.

The drop dangle earring are 2.6cm from the top of the bar ~ The beetles are 1.38cm in length, 1.01cm at the widest point and 0.9cm in depth.

The set is in exceptional condition

Such pieces were very fashionable in the mid-late Victorian period for two reasons. Firstly, with the advent of the industrial revolution and increasing numbers of people moving to cities for work, the countryside became a place of nostalgia that was often romanticised. It was in the 1860’s that Victorian women first began to wear beetles and other insect motifs on their clothes and accessories, with parasols, hats, and shawls often featuring insects, as well as bracelets, earrings and rings.

Secondly, the discovery of the jewellery of Egyptian queen Queen Ah-Hopte, in 1859 and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1867, led to huge interest in all things Egyptian and the use of the scarab beetle in jewellery.

Insect jewellery in vogue during the Victorian era is still highly desirable today and a piece in this condition is bound to be attractive to collectors.

HISTORY

Commonly known as the dung beetle, scarab beetles were an important symbol in Ancient Egypt. The scarab species is known for creating rolled balls of manure in which they lay their eggs. This distinctive rolling action was seen by the Ancient Egyptians as mimicking the rolling motion of the sun across the sky, a task they believed was performed daily by the god Khepri. The sun’s movements—and by extension, those of the scarab—were seen as emblematic of the circle of life, immortality, resurrection, transformation and growth. Accordingly, the scarab was perceived to be a tremendously powerful symbol, capable of providing protection and good fortune, which explains its long use in jewellery, personal ornamentation, funerary art, and amulets.

The scarab has continued to inspire the fashionable set across time and culture. Its likeness has been found amongst Greek and Etruscan artifacts, through to the Art Deco period, and recently on the Bottega Veneta runway. Perhaps one of the most important—and frenzied—moments in the beetle’s popularity was during the Victorian era, when a fascination with natural history found expression in art, décor and design. Amelia Soth explains that “as urban Victorians grew more and more detached from nature, they tried to reconstruct the wilderness in their homes: cultivating ferns under crystal domes, raising frogs in glass vivaria, and trimming their hats with piles of moss and bird’s nests. Taxidermy was considered a delightful domestic hobby. Victorian ladies learned to gut dead animals, douse their corpses with arsenic, and arrange them in lifelike poses for the amusement of visitors.”

Insect jewellery was particularly sought after during this period, which, combined with the concurrent mania for all things Egyptian—a legacy from Napoleon’s invasion of the country at the end of the 18thcentury—made the scarab particularly trendy. The fashionable of the Victorian era embroidered insect wings to their clothing, while some went so far as to use live beetles and fireflies as ornaments for their hair or bodices. Others more demurely chose to wear preserved insect shells strung together in the form of a necklace, or set into earrings or hairpins.

If you would like to PURCHASE THIS ITEM NOW I am open to reasonable offers to end the auction early before the first bid is placed ~ once a bid is placed I can no longer except offers so please make your offer as soon as possible

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I am not an antique/vintage expert and sell things I have accumulated over the pasts years also please be aware this is an antique or vintage item and may show signs wear and tear commensurate with age. If you require perfect then please consider buying reproduction

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UNFORTUNATELY SOME SHIPPING WORKERS TREAT THEM LIKE FOOTBALLS

SO I NOW HAVE TO ADVISE THAT COLLECTION IS THE BEST OPTION AS CERAMICS AND GLASS CANNOT BE INSURED AGAINST DAMAGE SO SHIPPING WOULD BE AT YOUR RISK.

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