This comet brooch, made to commemorate Halley’s 1835 return, is less decoratively ornate than what we usually see: a foil-backed rock crystal forms the blazing head, with a straight gold tail trailing behind. For centuries, Halley’s comet was seen as a bad omen—an Anglo-Saxon monk once called it a “source of tears to many mothers.” But by the 1830s, thanks to astronomers like Edmond Halley, Western European people understood they were witnessing a cosmic event, not divine wrath. Jewelers marked the moment with celebratory comet jewelry like this.
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), silver, 9.5mm x 7.5mm faceted rock crystal
AGE: c. 1840
CONDITION: Very good
SIZE: 1 1/8" length