antique Georgian Victorian French Jet Black Vauxhall Glass Halley’s Comet Pin

Description

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Here is a lovely antique Halley’s Comet brooch pin dating from the Georgian to early Victorian era, circa 1830s to 1850s.
While celestial jewelry has long been a popular theme, and especially so during the 19th century, comet pins in particular sky-rocketed in popularity with the reappearance of Halley’s Comet in 1835. This dainty little comet pin is made from French Jet, sometimes referred to as black Vauxhall glass. A rare mourning piece, it was constructed in a manner similar to cut steel jewelry, with faceted French Jet pieces individually riveted onto a Japanned metal base.
It measures approximately 1 3/8″ length from head to tail and 5/8″ at its widest. The head of the comet measures just under 3/8″ in diameter with a 6mm center height. As you can see, the black painted Japanned finish shows some wear, and some rust can also be seen on the steel underneath. Still though, for a 180+ year old piece, it’s in wonderful condition and very wearable. The tube hinge and C catch are in good working order, and the French Jet is marvelously reflective, glinting and gleaming in the light. While looking at the close-up photos, I noticed a line mark on the head of the comet, and when examined with a magnifying loupe, I can see it isn’t from damage but is instead a little manufacturing nuance, not readily obvious in person but worth a mention. The pictures offer the best description, so please click on them for a closer look, and if you have any questions, I’m always happy to help ♡
Jewelry boxes and other display items are not included, but this will come with a complimentary box for safe-keeping or giving as a gift. It ships via USPS and will be wrapped with care, boxed for safe travel, and mailed within one business day ♡
P.S. if you’d like to see more antique Halley’s Comet jewelry and memorabilia, here’s a neat website created by someone who wrote a book about it:
http://www.wordcraft.net/comets1.html