This bronze brooch is based on a 7th century Frankish brooch on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is set with four serpentine surrounding a tiger eye. These serpentine are a rich jade green with two lighter and two darker stones. The combination with the golden tiger eye is striking!
I really like this brooch because, while it is based on a 7th century piece, it could easily be worn in later periods.
It is 5 cm across with a stainless steel pin on the back. This is one of my favourite style pieces.
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The Franks are historically first known as a group of Germanic tribes that inhabited the land between the Lower and Middle Rhine in the 3rd century AD, and second as the people of Gaul, passing on their name to modern-day France. In the Middle Ages, the term Frank was used in the east as a synonym for western European, as the Franks were then rulers of most of Western Europe.
(The original buy that inspired this piece is shown in the pictures. It is one of several of this same style that I've seen. This particular one is set with moonstone, garnet, and mother of pearl and is 5.8 cm across.)
Product code: Frankish Pin with buy Serpentine and Tiger Eye