Victorian Demantoid Garnet & Diamond Salamander Brooch pink sapphire An exceptional piece

An exceptional piece

and it opens up to reveal a locket compartment for storage of a memento or keepsake

The front is intricately engraved with floral and foliate motifs

The Bacchanalia were Roman festivals of Bacchus

and are all clean and bright

Victorian Demantoid Garnet & Diamond Salamander Brooch pink sapphire An exceptional pieceDATE: Victorian, c. 1870 The salamander has, for centuries, been a symbol of immortality and rebirth connotations akin to the phoenix. It was thought to be able to withstand burning in flames, and so was perceived to be a magical creature Pliny the Elder wrote of them: "A salamander is so cold that it puts out fire on contact." In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the firemen wear a insignia salamander on their coats and trucks, a clear nod to this past