Antique Arrow Brooch
An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming. - Paulo Coelho
Cool antique arrow brooch set with a single pearl in the middle of the shaft, the head and vanes set with rose cut diamonds. It bears French control marks (import) for 18ct gold and silver, the swan mark suggesting it was most likely made in the USA. Dating from the early 20th century, circa 1910.
The arrow is a potent and ancient symbol, simple yet charged with a complex variety of meanings. There's Cupid's golden arrow, an instigator of love, dosing unsuspecting victims with an all-consuming romantic desire for the next person they laid eyes upon. From an 1850s poem, Cupid's Arrows, by J. Howard Smith:
Shooting wanton with his arrow,
Drawn from quiver deep and narrow,
Cupid stands,
In his plaid and bright-hued kirtle,
On a tiny new-born myrtle
Which expands.
Barbed arrows, sympathetic,
With a polar power magnetic,
Weave those bands; Threads of woe or threads of rapture,
Still they hold in hopeless capture,
Lover's hands.
Continuing the Classical symbolism there is, of course, Artemis/Diana with her crescent moon, bow, quiver, and arrows. As goddess of the hunt, of nature, wild animals, and childbirth, Artemis was particularly favoured in all the wild and mountainous areas of ancient Greece, and in Sparta, Laconia on Mount Taygetus, and in Elis. The Victorians respected her for her strength and quick thinking, and for her connection with the wilderness and wild places.
Era: Edwardian, circa 1910
Length: 5.0cm
Stones: Pearl and rose cut diamonds
Marks: French control marks (import) for 18ct gold and silver - owl and swan
Condition: Good antique condition. Signs of wear consistent with age and use
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This includes a valuation for insurance purposes, item specifics, date, and origins (where applicable)
Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain)
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Condition
We offer detailed and accurate condition reports on each listing. These pieces are antique, vintage, or pre-loved, often over 100 years old so they're going to have lived a life. A healthy patina and the odd scuff/scrape are quite normal... it's part of their charm! Everything we present has been checked over by our jeweller and should be good for wear for many years to come (unless otherwise stated) but please remember to treat them with appropriate care and consideration for their age.
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