Rare Huia Beak Jewelry Set
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A rare pair of male and female huia beak jewellery items, the female beak mounted as a brooch, engraved and gilded fancy 9ct. yellow gold cap to end with ball finial, small strap mount to receive the pin end, safety pin attached. Length 10 cm. The shorter beak of the male beak mounted as a 9ct. gold cap pendant with castellated detail, fine black feather detail showing under the gold cap mount and protruding at the top. Length 6 cm. Note: The huia was remarkable for having the most pronounced sexual dimorphism in bill shape of any bird species in the world. The extension of the huia in the early 20th century was due to rampant overhunting to procure mounted specimens, skins and tail feathers by worldwide museums and wealthy private collectors, the deforestation of the bird's habitat by European settlers to create pasture also lead to their demise
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- Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.
For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.
Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today. - Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
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