Victorian Eye Agate Oval Brooch
Every agate is unique; even stones quarried from the same slab vary in color and design. Eye agates, a form of the banded agate, are especially enigmatic and hypnotic. The ancients often employed agates of this type for the eyes of statues of idols and deities. During the 19th century the agate was re-introduced into jewelry.
Right to the point, an eye agate has been cut en cabochon and formed into an oval. Bands of black, blue-white and brown-tinged black create a sense of vista when viewed directly from the top. Hand-wrought gilded metal base and pin fittings bring a delightful naïve and simple charm to this Victorian era brooch.
Condition: Very good; since pin stems is hand made its shape is not symmetrical; it is off axis a bit but when level when worn; agate is near mint.
Measurements: 1-1/4 inches (3.1 cm) in length by 7/8 of an inch (2.3 cm) in width by 5/8 of an inch (1.3 cm) deep including pin and 7/16 of an inch (0.9 cm) without. This antique brooch has a weight of 11.2 grams (7.2 dwt).
Date & Origin: Circa 1870 and is English or Scottish in origin.
