Wonderful Pair of Victorian Pinchbeck Cameo Earrings Each Portraying Hebe

THE STORY - I love the Cameos of the Victorian and Georgian era, for me they convey the growing interest in the History and Art of the past and the growing opportunity for people to travel with Tours of Europe becoming popular to the wealthy with souvenirs being brought back home to keep or give to family and friends. And I confess to a love of earrings, especially drop earrings so it was very satisfying to find this pair of earrings in a wonderful Antique Shop on a recent trip to Rochester in Kent. Each earring has a Cameo depicting Hebe who in Greek mythology is The Goddess of Eternal Youth, and she is child of Zeus & Hera and in this depiction we see her offering up a cup of Ambrosia, the food and drink of the Gods to Zeus, God of Lighting & Thunder and Law & Order who is in the form of an Eagle which are apparently connected with immortality. Each Cameo sits in an Oval Pinchbeck setting which has around the edge engraved the pattern of the Greek key, which I have to say I find so beautiful. Pinchbeck was created in the 1700s by Christopher Pinchbeck a watchmaker and is a combination of Copper and Zinc is such proportions so that it resembles Gold and I have to confess although I know it does not carry the monetary value of Gold it has its own beauty and resonance as it captures a moment in history as it stopped being popular in the second half the 1800s with the introduction of lower carat gold. I read recently that people often preferred to wear Pinchbeck jewellery in situations such as when travelling in Stagecoaches when the risk of Theft was great, it kind of added an extra romance to it. The two oval discs hang from a hook which at the bottom of each is a little pinchbeck ball, allowing a lovely movement to the earrings.

AGE - Circa 1850

CONDITION - Both of the Cameos are in good condition, but there has at some point (I would imagine quite some time ago) been a repair to one of the earrings to the ring that holds the disc to the hook and ball as there can be seen on the back some old solder and this can best be seen in the eighth photo. Each of the Cameos appear to be in good condition which no chips or scratches that I can see.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Length from Top of Hook to Bottom of Disc 1&1/2" / 4cm, Width At Widest Point of Oval Disc 3/4" 2cm

I makes me smile to think of these two tiny carvings depicting so faithfully and so beautifully a story from Greek mythology but at the same time being made to be worn for a fashionable Victorian Lady. Who knows maybe they were a souvenir from her own Grand Tour experience, if so I am sure they held a lot of wonderful memories. They are certainly a lovely example of a piece of jewellery from a particular time in history and the fact that they are pinchbeck and not gold really reinforces that, and that is why I love Pinchbeck