This Victorian snake necklace is one of the best of its kind to appear on the regional market in recent memory. The fully articulated gold and silver serpent set with amethysts with emerald and diamond accents was sold in its original case at a timed online auction held by 1818 Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in Cumbria on July 4. It came from the house in the Windermere area, the family only knew of its existence when clearing the property. A receipt for £1700 suggested it had been acquired by the late owner from Byworth Antiques, London in 1974. Offered with an estimate of £5000-8000, it sold to a trade bid of £22,500.
Far more fluent than us in the language of jewellery and stones, the Georgians and the Victorians would immediately have made the link between snakes and eternal love. The ouroboros – a serpent swallowing its own tail – was commonly understood as a symbol of eternity and the form took a popular leap forward when Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake engagement ring with an emerald, her birthstone, set to its head.