This beautiful antique late Victorian Butterfly brooch/pendant is expertly crafted from 14k yellow gold and silver. She is set with a magnificent collection of natural old cut Blue Sapphires (likely Ceylon per my gemologist), Pink Sapphires, Rose Cut Diamonds and Sea Pearls. The color of the Sapphires are so vibrant and utterly stunning against the dark patina of the silver and gold settings. I have been searching for the perfect Butterfly piece for ages and this one is absolutely ideal with both a brooch pin and collapsible bail allowing her to be worn as either a brooch or a pendant - versatility is definitely key for me!!!
She measures 26mm x 39mm with total weight of 9.35 grams. The center Blue Sapphire is 3.5mm x 3.5mm and sides (x2) are 3mm x 4mm. The Pink Sapphires (x8) measure at between 2-3.5mm with (x2) 1.3mm round set for the eyes. Diamonds (x20) vary in size from around 1.5-2.5mm. There is one tiny diamond missing that will be replaced immediately but unfortunately I didn’t notice it until after I had taken photos and lost sunlight for the day. I kept the original patina on both the silver and the gold but am happy to give the yellow gold a bit of a polish before shipping to bring out the yellow on the tips of the wings, feet, antennas and body if you prefer.
The overall condition of this piece is fantastic with all original stones, except the one tiny diamond that will be replaced with an antique rosecut from the same era. The pin clasp has been replaced with a more modern (still vintage) clasp that allows for locking the pin stem in place but you’d never notice unless you are knowledgeable about the age of specific clasp styles.
