Antique Carved Labradorite 'Man in the Moon' Rose Diamond Pendant, c. 1888
Antique pendant of a detailed carving in labradorite of a man in the moon accented with 20 rose cut diamonds on both the crescent moon and star. On the verso is the original beveled rock crystal in a frame covering a hair receiver, now possibly a place for a photograph. The pendant measures 18.0 mm. across and a length of 21.53 mm.
Labradorite is a natural stone in the feldspar mineral family. The blueish iridescence of the labradorite is a perfect choice for the moon's face. The Victorian motif of a man in the moon shows the popularity in the late 19th century for all things celestial.
Important to understanding the context of this piece was the preference at this time for carved figural characters to imbody phenomena that were of popular interest. Today this piece survives as a remarkable rarity of this bygone era. The fact that its primary visual characteristic involves gemological iridescence makes this gem even rarer.
Our unusual man-in-the-moon pendant is suspended from a contemporary 14K 16 inch chain which is marked 14K. The antique pendant is not marked, we have performed an acid test to confirm its gold content as being approximately .585, 14K.
All items sold are accompanied by a detailed Statement of Value, as well as any related gemological reports. Jewelry sold is guaranteed to be authentic and as represented. All diamonds are from the earth. We never use lab grown, synthetic diamonds. Each piece of jewelry arrives in a fine gift-wrapped presentation box.
We have made every attempt to photograph our jewelry with the proper lighting conditions to display our pieces as they are in real life. However no amount of effort on our end can give the reader realistic colors if the receiving system is imprecise. For realism in color, "It takes two to tango".
We have also photographed our pieces on different colors and different body types to provide our viewers with abundant information that we hope will permit them to make their best decision. If questions arise that we have not addressed here, please contact us and we shall respond.
Unless stated otherwise, or stated exactly; all weights and grades are approximated by our Gemologist using both GIA Instruments as well as instruments used as a standard and accepted practice within our trade. All purities involving metals - gold, silver, platinum, palladium are approximated within 1%. This allows for the legal tolerance in the jewelry industry. For example, 14K usually indicates a purity of 58.3% gold. However, manufacturing jewelers can legally label a piece as 14K as long as it is above 13K, or 54.2%.
Over the decades our stewardship as a small but exemplary purveyor of the jeweler's art, has required that we we offer a fine and authentic selection, in excellent condition, of collectible jewels from all highly sought time periods at competitive prices. In the process we have had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting remarkable people - some collectors, some extremely interesting individuals who have taken the time and effort to examine their lives and select things that tend to make them smile, admire or just wonder at the exciting, endlessly creative and nuanced panoply of jeweled artifacts.