A fine Victorian Egyptian Revival stickpin, c.1880, centred on a hand-carved turquoise scarab cradled within an elegant open goldwork frame of delicate pierced construction. The scarab — the sacred dung beetle of ancient Egypt — was the most potent symbol of regeneration and divine protection in the Egyptian pantheon, and its adoption as a jewellery motif in the Victorian period reflects the sustained fascination with ancient Egypt that had gripped European culture since Napoleon's Egyptian campaign of 1798. Turquoise was the stone most closely associated with Egyptian jewellery in the Victorian imagination, and the combination of carved turquoise scarab and fine goldwork frame is a particularly accomplished example of the genre. Tests as 22ct gold, most likely 15ct with high-carat gilding — a construction method used by some Victorian makers to achieve a richer gold colour. Head 1.5 × 1.2cm; pin length 6.8cm.

The Details

• Circa: 1880
• Head dimensions: 1.5 × 1.2cm
• Pin length: 6.8cm
• Hallmarks: Tests as 22ct gold; likely 15ct with high-carat gilding
• Stone: Hand-carved turquoise scarab