Edwardian Golden Pheasant Brooch

A Golden Pheasant. Not Chrysolophus pictus, the brightly coloured bird native to the mountains of western China, but a three-tone gold depiction of the common or ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus. The one that's ubiquitous in rural Britain. "The species name colchicus is Latin for 'of Colchis' (modern day Georgia), a country on the Black Sea where pheasants became known to Europeans. Although Phasianus was previously thought to be closely related to the genus Gallus, the genus of junglefowl and domesticated chickens, recent studies show that they are in different subfamilies, having diverged over 20 million years ago." Source: wikipedia.org The detailing to this antique brooch is insane. Life-like feathers have been painstakingly etched into the gold, the collar is white gold, the wings and tail are rose, and the body and head are yellow, red guilloché enamel wattle highlights the garnet cabochon eye. An utterly spectacular piece. Era: Edwardian, circa 1910 Size: 4.1cm by 5.3cm Stone: Garnet, variety almandine-pyrope Marks: None, tested as 15ct gold Condition: Great antique condition