Vauxhall glass - so-named for the company that produced it, the Vauxhall Glassworks - was produced in the 18th and early 19th centuries as an alternative to gemstone jewelry. Essentially, it's pressed and mirrored glass. This seems kind of "whatever" to us now but back then it was quite groundbreaking. Unlike paste, which was used almost interchangeably with gemstones and set into precious metals, Vauxhall glass was typically paired with minimal base metal mountings. Red is pretty fantastic, and these flies are EXTRA. They have little blue vauxhall glass eyes and a cool British Registry mark for July 17, 1869.
MATERIALS: 10k gold ear wires, base metal body, glass
AGE: c. 1870 - British Registry mark date July 17, 1869
CONDITION: Good - one fly has a chip at the top of its thorax, the other fly is missing the glass casing over its abdomen
SIZE: 1 7/8" length measured from the top of the ear wire, 1" at the widest point