Georgian Dove Intaglio Spinner Fob
A large Georgian era spinner fob set with a chalcedony intaglio depicting a dove with olive branch. This was made around 1800, at the turn of the nineteenth century, when the dove-and-olive-branch was one of the most widely understood images around, but the Georgians interpreted it somewhat differently to us.
As we all know, the image comes from the most famous stories in the Christian tradition, from the book of Genesis: Noah releases a dove, it flies off across the seemingly endless expanse of water, and returns with an olive branch in its beak meaning it had found land. Whilst we associate the dove and the olive branch with peace, back then it meant deliverance, the end of an ordeal, and the arrival of good news. Which actually makes a lot of sense in the context of intaglio carvings, wax seals, and letter sending.
But there's more to the symbolism than this scriptural root. The olive branch also had pagan credentials, specifically from the Classical Greek and Roman period. In Virgil’s Aeneid the hero holds out an olive branch to offer peace, and Roman generals are recorded raising one to sue for peace after defeat. And, as your average well-educated Georgian would have known, the dove was the bird of Venus, goddess of love, so the intaglio could be interpreted with an extra, Neoclassical, layer of meaning.
The fob itself is wonderfully ornate with stylised acanthus motifs flanking a central spiralled pole.
Era: Georgian, circa 1800
Size: 4.6cm by 3.3cm
Stone: Chalcedony
Marks: None, tests as base metal
Condition: Good antique condition; light wear consistent with age
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Gemstones are tested by an accredited gemmologist (Cert GA, Gemmological Association of Great Britain).
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[Last updated: September 2026]
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Condition
We offer detailed and accurate condition reports on each listing. These pieces are antique, vintage, or pre-loved and often over 100 years old so they're going to have lived a life. A healthy patina and the odd scuff or scrape is 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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