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Malachite gold georgian brooch

SKU: 566

26mm x 24mm English circa 1820. Please note the fine gold carving.

The name Malachite is derived from the Greek word "Malakhe" which refers to a marshmallow plant because of the startling green colour. Malachite's banded light and dark green designs are one-of-a-kind, and give it a unique ornamental quality unlike that of any other stone. The light and dark green bands are very distinctive and come from its high copper content. It has been used in jewellery and decorative items for thousands of years. It was popular for ornamental use as far back as the ancient Egyptians who used it in both statues and adornments. They also ground it to a powder and, having mixed it with water, painted it on their eye lids. It was used as a pigment for paint in Egyptian tomb paintings and for the same purpose much later in European art during the 15th century.

The Regency era in the United Kingdom is the period between 1811—when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent—and 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV on the death of his father. The Regency is noted for its elegance and achievements in the fine arts and architecture. This era encompassed a time of great social, political, and even economic change. War was waged with Napoleon and on other fronts, affecting commerce both at home and internationally as well as politics. Despite the bloodshed and warfare the Regency was also a period of great refinement and cultural achievement, shaping and altering the societal structure of Britain as a whole.

 

Material

  • Gold