This large late Georgian or early Victorian pendant is crafted of silver and white paste stones (some missing). It is likely French in origin and depicts the Saint Esprit Dove in flight carrying an olive branch with decorative bows above. The Saint Esprit Dove is a religious symbol that was popular in France during the 18th and 19th centuries. It features a dove in flight often carrying branch of peace and is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
This particular pendant measures approximately 2.5 in length and weighs approximately 12g. It is a stunning piece that will surely attract attention.
The dove is articulated from the top portion of the brooch to allow movement. Jewelers handcrafted all the jewelry of this period with incredibly labor-intensive processes. The artisans had to hand hammer gold ingots and other metals into thin sheets before even starting to fabricate pieces. Check out my other listings for more great antique jewelry!
Paste jewelry is a special type of flint glass that emulates a number of gemstones. Much of the beauty and appeal of antique Paste jewelry is that it was such a difficult and labor-intensive thing to produce. The special Paste glass was cut and polished by hand so that is shone and glittered. Often Paste jewelry was set with a metal base or "foil" to improve the color and luminosity of the glass. And sometimes colored so if you wanted a romantic Ruby red or an amazing Emerald green, paste jewelry had you covered.
Paste jewelry was popular throughout the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Necklaces & Pendants".shanty" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, Korea, South, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Republic of, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Vietnam, Uruguay, Philippines, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands.