Object of the Day: An Antique Hardstone Cameo Stickpin

Since the Third Century BC, cameos have been a popular art form used in everything from seals to jewelry. During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, cameo jewelry wasn’t just reserved for women. Gentlemen wore cameos in rings, watch fobs and stickpins. Only in recent years have cameos been exclusively the stuff of women’s jewelry.


This lovely hardstone cameo has been set into a delicate stickpin which dates to the late Nineteenth Century. Set in a gold bezel, the cameo is a dramatic contrast of white and black, showing a neatly carved profile of a woman in classical style.

Onyx, jet and dark sardonyx jewelry was often set aside to be worn during a time of mourning when the choices for adornment were limited. A stickpin such as this could have added a bit of pizzazz to mourning attire without being overly flashy. Today, she serves as a reminder of a sense of style and beauty which, also, has sadly passed.

Painting of the Day: A Stickpin Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1850

Stickpin with Portrait of Queen Victoria
William Essex after Franz Xaver Winterhalter
English, 1850
Gold, Enamel
The Victoria & Albert Museum

When young Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, she was quickly celebrated for her grace and beauty. Images of the Queen became popular decorations and even found their way into the design of jewels. This gold stickpin (or scarf pin) features a portrait of the Queen based on the 1843 canvas by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.


The portrait, beautifully rendered in enamel, is the work of the miniaturist William Essex—much beloved of the Queen and Prince Albert. Essex has taken great care to painstakingly reproduce one of the Queen’s favorite portraits.

Object of the Day: A Moonstone Stickpin

Mystical and mysterious, the moonstone was a popular gem of the Victorian era. It was prized for its milky blue glow and the way in which it seemed to absorb light. Moonstone was frequently used with other stones in elaborate settings, but it often found itself center stage.


Such is the case of this lovely English stickpin of 9 karat gold. The large moonstone is set into a sterling silver bezel which has been chased with a minute pattern of laurel leaves. A stickpin such as this would have been used by a gentleman in less-formal situations such as daily business or trips to the country.

Just as appealing as the day it was set, this moonstone stickpin continues to demonstrate the ethereal refraction which made this simple stone a super star.