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Buying antique jewellery is both ethical and eco-friendly as harmful and destructive mining processes are not needed to make an item yours. So give yourself a pat on the back!
Find Out MoreWe always love to source unusual early Scottish jewellery and this 15ct gold bangle fits the bill.
Also referred to as “pebble” jewellery, this colourful and exuberant jewellery originated in Scotland utilising traditional Highland themes employing native agate and granite to punctuate the popular designs. The stones were precisely cut to form designs conforming to the setting, often to such tight tolerances as to form a seemingly seamless mosaic.
Much of Scotland’s Highland heritage was squelched after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion against the English and outward symbols of clan allegiance were forbidden. At the turn of the nineteenth-century interest in Scotland was renewed in the readers of the popular historical novels by Sir Walter Scott. Basing his stories in the rich history of the Highlands, he presented an idealised and romanticised view of his beloved Scotland. Queen Victoria made her first visit there in 1842 and loved it so much that she purchased Balmoral castle in 1847, making it a home for English monarchs on into the twenty-first century.
With the advent of railways a new tourist trade sprang up as those who were previously not able to afford leisure travel could now do so. Scotland became a prime destination not only for its beautiful scenery but because of the fascination it held for their Queen.
This led to many pieces of jewellery being made for the new tourist trade. Gold Scottish pebble jewellery is rare as most pieces were made of silver, and this hinged and articulated bangle is a wonderful survival from circa 1860-1880. It has been set with shaped bloodstones, jasper and grey agates in a Gothic design and there is bright cut engraving on the gold.
A truly beautiful bangle.
I was so thrilled to buy this bangle!
Buying antique jewellery is both ethical and eco-friendly as harmful and destructive mining processes are not needed to make an item yours. So give yourself a pat on the back!
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