posted 08-08-2006 12:40 AM            

Each piece is hand engraved with a matching design.

The bracelet shows two scenes, divided by a tree in the middle. On the left, it is night, and a wolf is snarling at a crane taking a sip from a vessel. On the right, it is day and the two animals are both sharing from a trough.

The earrings each show one of the two animals.

The pin shows a scene similar to the bracelet's night scene.

I feel that these scenes may be allegorical. Does anybody have suggestions?

posted 08-08-2006 11:51 AM            

Cheryl

The Fox And The Crane, Aesop Fable (620-560 BC)

A Fox invited a Crane to supper and provided nothing for his entertainment but some soup made of pulse, which was poured out into a broad flat stone dish. The soup fell out of the long bill of the Crane at every mouthful, and his vexation at not being able to eat afforded the Fox much amusement. The Crane, in his turn, asked the Fox to sup with him, and set before her a flagon with a long narrow mouth, so that he could easily insert his neck and enjoy its contents at his leisure. The Fox, unable even to taste it, met with a fitting requital, after the fashion of her own hospitality.

posted 08-08-2006 01:10 PM            

I wonder if a design like this is something that would have been readily available, or if, as FWG suggests, it was indeed a special commission. It is certainly a very specific scene, whereas most of this kind of jewelry depicts much more generic tableaux, usually in the Japanese flavor and with less detail.

The imagery itself is silver on a stippled, gold-washed background, as can be seen in the pictures. Applied bands of solid rose gold frame each scene. The remainder of each piece has a light gold wash over the silver. The earrings would have originally had ear wire findings, but were converted to screwbacks, probably around the 1940s. So, this set evidently enjoyed use for at least 70 years, as it was made ca mid-1870s.

The bulk of this style of jewelry hailed from Birmingham, England. However, I feel this is more likely an American set. Alas, there are no markings.