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Victorian 18ct Gold & Malachite Carved Monkey Pendant

208M
975 Admirers Rare Find
Written by Olly Gerrish

A very unusual 18ct gold pendant with a chained monkey in the centre. The monkey has been carved from malachite and has ruby cabochon eyes. It was made circa 1860. There was a fashion for malachite during the Victorian Age, and it was used in fine jewellery for the English gentry and grand sculpture in the palaces of the Russian Tsars. There was also a fashion for pet monkeys. Notes on Pet Monkeys and How to Manage Them by Arthur Patterson (London, 1888) advises that that the chief importers of monkeys to Britain were Cross, Carpenter, and Johnson of Liverpool or Jamrach and Abrahams of London. Monkeys were brought to Britain by sailors or dealers alongside traditional cargo from South America, India and south east Asia. Patterson’s book includes a price list for various breeds of monkeys, revealing that marmosets could be had for 15 shillings whereas an orangutan could be as much as £100. This pendant is a far kinder way of keeping a monkey nearby!

Ollys Pick

Never seen anything like this!

Item Number
208M
Measurements
Height from top of loop 55mm
Width 34mm
Materials
Date & Origin
Victorian (1839-1901)
Possibly Russian
Provenance
Possibly Russian
Hallmarks

Unmarked, tested to 18ct gold

Condition
Very Good
Discovered
6 years ago
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