SOLD. 19 th Century carved Mother-of-Pearl Buckle - Leaves Design

This detailed, chunky buckle has been hand-carved from shell and has all the lustrous glow that you get from natural mother-of-pearl with definite pink and green tints in some lights. The design is a repeat pattern of leaves with cross hatched cuts. I cannot make my mind up if this is a large belt buckle which is curved because that was the natural shape of the raw material used to create it or if it is actually a single shoe buckle from the Georgian era. So whilst I will leave that to conjecture,  it remains obvious that this piece dates to the 19th Century. The buckle is a slide type with metal hinge capture to retain the belt or ribbon on the back and two long, pronged teeth which are a bit distorted from use. The metal looks like worn gilded brass and you can see four pin heads to the front of the buckle where the workings are connected to the carved shell buckle.  You could attach this to a suitable belt, or a hat band or a gathered ribbon or use on it to decorate a wedding gown or gift.  The buckle measures: 70mm x 85mm and is in very nice order.  If you collect buckles and buttons this would make a great addition to your collection.

JEWELLERY DETAILS

Place of Origin: Europe
Maker: Unknown

Condition: Very Good

Style: Foliate  - Leaves - Hand Carved

Era: Antique 19th Century 

Type: Buckle - lady's belt buckle - gentleman’s shoe buckle

Material: Mother of Pearl, Natural Shell
Colour: Pearl White