Scottish 19th Century 15ct Gold Dirk Brooch Set With Bloodstone, Jasper & Citrine

A neat 15ct62.5% pure gold (or 625 parts pure gold and 375 parts other metals). Popular during the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras but was discontinued in the mid-1930s. gold dirk that was made circa 1860-1880 for the Scottish burgeoning tourist trade. This was because Queen Victoria had purchased Balmoral castle in the 1860s. Many pieces were made as tourist trinkets to sell to the travellers who flocked to the Cairngorms to discover the beauty and serenity of the Scottish mountains. Today they are still sought after because of the craftsmanship and the use of the pebbles found in the river beds and polished to form these lovely pieces of jewellery. This dirk brooch has been set with bloodstoneA dark green to dark bluish-green variety of Chalcedony that is splattered with red or brown spots that resemble blood. The extent of the marking varies depending on the stone. Spots are favoured over larger stripes and markings. and jasperAn opaque variety of Chalcedony and is brown, yellow, or reddish, but may be used to describe other opaque colours like dark or mottled green, orange, and black. Jasper is almost always multicoloured and patterned in a unique way. with a carved thistle shaped citrineCitrine (from the French for ‘lemon’) is a rare, yellow type of quartz, a semi-precious stone that ranges in colour from pale yellow to orange to golden brown. The best quality citrine is found in Brazil. on the top.