Monday, January 31, 2011

Victorians just wanna have fun


[ I hope all's (well) | via Erie Basin ]


[ Who the (devil) is this from? | via Clayton Antiques ]


[ Friend (ship) | via my jewelry box ]

I am super intrigued by Victorian intaglio seals. Sometimes they are made of semi precious stone (agate, carnelian, etc.) but more often you find them in glass. They are reverse carved with initials, images, or short messages and they were used to seal the wax on letters. The Victorians sometimes substituted images for part of the phrases. How witty! I just bought myself the Friend (ship) fob, which is now the oldest piece of jewelry that I own and certainly the most playful.
Posted by Jean Jean Vintage at 5:00 AM
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4 comments:

Em said...

Those examples are really neat. I especially like your friend "ship."

January 31, 2011 at 7:52 AM
Anonymous said...

Wow, I've never seen one of these in person yet. What great treasures!

January 31, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Wild Tea Party said...

Oh those witty Victorians. For all their fuss about covering furniture legs, they sure were punny.

January 31, 2011 at 4:46 PM
Liane said...

I've always been slightly obsessed with the idea of seals and wax and monograms. I didn't realize that there were Victorian ones made of various stones or that some had images and plays on words. Totally up my alley. Thanks for sharing these beauties.

February 8, 2011 at 12:18 AM

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