Antique Victorian Cut Steel Foil Opal Glass Pendant

Our Antique Victorian Cut Steel Foil Opal Glass Pendant, with its mesmerizing glass stone meant to mimic opal, is so ethereal it looks like it has magical powers. Can you just imagine the person who wore it, over 100 years ago? Quite rare and unique - we've never seen another one like it! Cut steel elements surround a huge cabochon stone. We'd style this one high on the neck like a choker, suspending it from a silky black ribbon. Victorian Cut Steel: The Original Sparkle Cut steel is one of those jewelry secrets that feels like you've discovered a doorway to the jewelry box of an extravagant royal from hundreds of years ago. Cut steel was born in 18th century England, Woodstock and Birmingham more specifically, and later manufactured in huge quantities in France, where Parisian ateliers refined it into something delicate and ballroom-ready. The whole point of cut steel was candlelight. These pieces were designed for a world before electricity, when the only sparkle in the room came from a flickering chandelier, and each tiny faceted stud was cut to throw that wavering light back in a hundred directions. Up close, cut steel is exactly what it sounds like: minuscule polished steel studs, each one hand-faceted with as many as fifteen little faces, then riveted onto a backing in dense glittering clusters that read, by candleflame, almost exactly like diamonds. It had its first big moment in the late 1700s and then a full Victorian revival. Shoe buckles are the most common surviving form. They were everywhere, on everyone. But the larger pieces, like what we are offering, are vanishingly rare. A full cut steel brooch, a cascading pendant, an entire bracelet of faceted studs intact and unrusted is the kind of find that makes even the most jaded vintage dealer go silent for a second. Each one is, when you really look at it, a tiny act of obsession! Think: a jeweler at a bench faceting hundreds of metal studs by hand for one evening's worth of shimmer. To care for a cut steel piece, treat it like a tiny haunted thing that hates water: never wear it in the rain, never put it on damp skin, never store it in a humid bathroom or a velvet box that's seen better days. Avoid any polish or jewelry cleaners. Worn carefully, a cut steel brooch from the 1820s will outlive you and sparkle into the next century. SIZE: One size. MATERIALS: Cut steel, glass opal. ERA: Victorian (1837 - 1901). Measurements: Approximately 3 inches x 1 inch. CONDITION: In good secondhand condition, with some normal wear and tear that comes with age. By purchasing items from Dollchunk Bazaar, you recognize that all items are secondhand--sometimes over 100 years old!-and therefore have normal wear and tear. The condition of all items can be seen in photos. If you have any questions, reach out to customerservice@dollchunk.com before purchasing.