Antique Victorian 15ct gold reverse painted Essex Crystal Cocker Spaniel dog brooch pin, c.1880s – 1900

Dating to the end of the 20th century, this wonderful piece fits neatly into the Victorian era. A painstakingly detailed art, here the reverse is carved deeply in the flat back of a rock crystal cabochon and then painted with watercolours. The deeper the carving, the more detailed and realistic the painting. The artist used minute carving tools and incredibly fine brushes. Early examples of reverse painted Essex Crystal jewels were gold foil backed. To help preserve the paintings, later examples were backed with mother of pearl, as can be seen in this beautiful piece. Set in 9ct gold and designed as a brooch pin with leaf detail c catch. Please note the box shown is for demonstration purposes. A fabulous example of antique English Victorian jewellery.
Measurements: Essex Crystal measures 12 mm in diameter, brooch pin measures 46 mm long
Weighs: 4.0 grams
Hallmarks: none, tests as 15ct gold