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Authentic antique Chinese Kingfisher feather, hardstone/amber, pearls, silver and gilt silver en tremblant hair jewelry ornament. Well over 100 years old. <br><br>
Measures 5 inches long. <br>
Beautifully crafted hair ornament made of silver and gold washed silver and then set with the vibrant turquoise feathers of the Chinese kingfisher bird and highlighted with red stones (hardstones or amber or Peking glass) and pearls.
A wonderful floral arrangement, including papyrus flowers, iris, waterlilies are arranged in a Chinese urn/vase, set with a large oval red stone. (looks like amber, but we are not sure). A pair of twisted gold washed bars support a dragonfly, perched en tremblant with long feelers ending in pearls that quiver and shake as the wearer moves (or even in the slightest breeze). The dragonfly perches on little wires, so it is in a different plane to the rest of the piece, making it a fully 3-dimentional item. Another flower set with a stone above this. The ornament ends with 3 small flowers, each with a gilded center and finally, the little spoon-like terminal, not used for scooping up snuff, but for cleaning the ears. <br> The beautiful workmanship can be seen also at the back, which glows gently from the antique gold. <br>
Condition is very good considering the delicacy of this item. There are naturally some losses to the feather, but less than one would expect.
The craze for kingfisher jewellery and hair ornaments is supposed to have threatened these little birds almost to extinction during the 19th century. |
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