Victorian Brooch with Citrines, Amethyst & Pearls in Gold, Birmingham 1896

"My Heart's in the Highlands" - how sadly, how wistfully Robert Burns expresses his longing for the rugged wilderness of Scotland in his poem from 1789. He himself has arrived back in society, in London or another southern city, for example. His heart, however, continues to wander through the mountains and valleys of the north. Burns' love of nature and the vast landscape has recently been congenially set to music by Arvo Pärt. This Victorian England brooch was born out of the same feeling. From the middle of the 19th century, a true Scottish fashion had broken out in Great Britain. Queen Victoria regularly spent her summers at Balmoral. Her subjects followed her up and down the country, and Scottish-style manor houses suddenly sprang up, people dressed in kilts, and jewellery was also created with references to the northern part of the country. The brooch is made of gold and colorful gemstones, as were traditionally found in the Highlands. We see two citrines faceted into hearts under a crown of pearls. They frame a thistle, which is represented by a faceted amethyst. All the gemstones are mounted in gold. The thistle is the national symbol of Scotland, so the design is a tribute to the rugged northern country. We discovered the brooch in London. The hallmark on the reverse shows that it was presented to the Birmingham Assay Office in 1896, before it was sold for the first time. Charlotte Gere/Judy Rudoe offers a nice overview of the Victorian enthusiasm for Scotland: Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria, London: British Museum Press 2010, pp. 454-461.

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