ANIMALS & INSECTS (Beauty and Beasts) Antique Taxidermied Jewelry Victorian society, while fascinated with the natural world, had no interest in conservation or preservation of wildlife. Huge numbers of wildlife were killed in shooting weekends near home or hunts for exotic animals in foreign lands. Hunting trophies of all sorts were incorporated into jewelry. You can find pieces made from European hunts - furry-looking grouse foot brooches, badger's paws, deer teeth or horn tips, and boar's tusks, for instance. More exotic animals were hunted in India and Africa, supplying tiger fangs and claws. Though not trophies from the hunt, small Brazilian beetles' carcasses were made into all forms of jewelry. Their shells are a striking green with a slightly bumpy texture. The Art Nouveau era has examples of jewelry fashioned from tiny stuffed hummingbird's heads. While these can be macabre to modern eyes, these pieces are often beautifully fashioned - sometimes accented with precious gems, gold, and silver. Decorative Insect & Animal Jewelry Animals were used as symbols of specific traits in Georgian and Victorian jewelry. Flies, for instance, symbolized fidelity. (My husband, ever the romantic, says this must have come about because once you attract a fly, it's awfully hard to get rid of.) Serpents symbolized eternity, dogs - faithfulness. Symbolism of this sort is discussed on the page Early Victorian or Romantic Era. Throughout the eras discussed on these pages, various creatures have been used over and over again incorporating the styles and workmanship of each different era's tastes. These few examples only hint at the diversity to be found in antique and vintage jewelry using various creatures as inspiration. Additional photos courtesy of: Nouveau Art & Antiques , Red Robin Antiques & The Lush Life Georgian Retro Early Victorian Animal & Insects Mid-Victorian Cameos Late Victorian Enamel Edwardian Mourning & Hair Jewelry Arts & Crafts Revival Art Deco Era ---I'd welcome your comments, suggestions, and any knowledge you'd care to share, as well. Is there a subject you'd like to have added to these pages? Please feel free to email me at: jthomas@jantiques.com