Animal jewelry is an all-time favorite.

  #7259 dogs lead the pack.

 
A gentleman recently bought a beautifully made gold and diamond brooch for his wife's birthday. I couldn't decide whether it was a mouse or a koala bear, but it was cute and very well made. About an hour after the brooch was delivered to the Missus, I had a 'phone call.  The preamble was garbled, but slowly, I twigged: The lady was ecstatic about her brooch. As I slowly got onto her wavelength, I understood that she is passionate about rats. 
Now, if she had raved about the marvels of the brooch, I'd have been able to enter the conversation, but as it was, she had enough to say for both of us. This lady really loves rats. 

It's quite odd what makes different people tick. There are a surprising number of people out there who love pigs. Just look at these gorgeous piggy and you are sure to ooh and aah.
#6660 pig fob.  

What makes animal jewelry so popular? There are many answers. To start off with, quite simply, we love animals. Animals have always played a huge part in our lives. We are totally attached to them emotionally, we work with them, they do so much for us. Then, there are the deep psychoanalytic and prehistoric theories about how Man represents something in art in order to conquer it, in order to show control over his fears. There is the sheer joy of playing with your pet and there is the deep symbolism, to which the Victorians were so well-attuned. 
Whatever the explanation, animal jewelry is tremendous fun.
It combines beauty and art with joy. In a world of increased alienation, animals bring us back to a touch of humanity. 

If people are wild about wild animals, then the elephant is the true king of the jungle. I rarely get to keep elephant jewelry for very long, but I can't explain what it is about these wonderful pachyderms that people identify so closely with.
The topic of ivory is very serious and will be dealt with on its own. 

I had an adorable lobster brooch. Gorgeous coloured stones. Turns out there are folk out there to whom a lobster speaks beyond the word 'bisque'. Subsequently, I've seen lobsters and crayfish of various sizes and beautifully set with a multitude of gems.  
It goes without saying that anglers love fish. They may leave you a little cold, but a lot of fine ladies identified with their fishermen husbands and their habits. 
#7435 fish stick pin.            
To add interest, fish scales were often used to texture the surface of jewelry without including the rest of the fish form. 
I'm not sure where the interest lies in turtles and tortoises, but there is some wonderful and very expensive jewelry in these forms. For my turtle-loving friends, please forgive my ignorance. You can always enlighten the rest of us by explaining what is so endearing about a slimy, slow and non-affectionate creature. 

There is universal war between the ascendance of dog vs cat lovers. I'm not even going to step into that fray. My sister, the vet, counts sharks and frogs amongst her favorite patients. Animal jewelry rocks!!
There are a lot of people who love their pets and will go to any length to find a golden image of Bobby or Frisky, made hundreds of years ago. Some breeds seem to arouse especial jewelry needs in their owners - Dachshunds are in huge demand for a yappy breed of nuisances (ok, only joking). 
      #7281

Most of us love animals. So did people throughout the world and through the ages.  They left us a vast range of wonderful animal jewelry to appreciate and enjoy. Here is a 200 year old bracelet with crocodile terminals.
                                      #4929
Animal jewelry is timeless. There is nothing outdated in any of the beautiful animal and bird jewels made hundreds of years ago. It is as wearable, fun, and  universal today as it was when it came from the goldsmith's workshop.
An especially great feature of wildlife jewelry of every sort is that it is so wearable by anyone and everyone. I think I've sold more animal brooches to men than to women. Anyone and everyone should be making a statement about who they love and what their interests are. 

Animal jewelry will be continued in other posts about dogs, birds and elephants while snake jewelry probably tops the lot.

#5744 video miniature silver carousel with animals.

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