Victorian Cairngorm Crown Cross Pendant

• Victorian Period - The Victorian period of furniture and decorative arts design covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. There was not one dominant style of furniture in the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many historical styles such as Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others, although use of some styles, such as English Rococo and Gothic tended to dominate the furniture manufacture of the period.
  
  The Victorian period was preceded by the Regency and William IV periods, and followed by the Edwardian period, named for Edward VII (1841 ? 1910) who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for the brief period from 1901 until his death in 1910.
• Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
  
  Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
• Cairngorm - Cairngorm is a type of smoky quartz, which is a variety of quartz that ranges in colour from light gray to dark brown. It is found in granite rock in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland, hence its name, and it is typically found in large clusters. The mineral is relatively hard, with a Mohs hardness of 7, and it is fairly durable, making it a suitable choice for jewellery and decorative objects.
  
  Cairngorm is said to have spiritual and healing properties, it is believed to have grounding energy, and it is thought to help with focus and concentration. It is also said to be a stone of protection and is said to help balance the energy within the body.
  
  The mining and collection of Cairngorms is heavily regulated in Scotland, and it is illegal to remove them from the Cairngorms National Park without a permit.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• jewellery - cairngorm stone 51
• lockets
  • enamel 240
  • silver items 2,428
• pendants and lockets, design - cross and cruciform 424
• pendants and lockets, set with - enamel 251
• pendants and lockets, silver - silver items 2,428