“Beware Flattery.”

This one is truly special. This is a beautifully detailed reverse intaglio masterfully carved on rock crystal of “The Crow and the Fox,” the fable told by Aesop, then Jean de la Fontaine in the 17th century.

At the top of a tree perched Master Crow;
In his beak he was holding a cheese.
Drawn by the smell, Master Fox spoke, below.
The words, more or less, were these:
"Hey, now, Sir Crow! Good day, good day!
How very handsome you do look, how grandly distingué!
No lie, if those songs you sing
Match the plumage of your wing,
You’re the phoenix of these woods, our choice."
Hearing this, the Crow was all rapture and wonder.
To show off his handsome voice,
He opened his beak wide and let go of his plunder.
The Fox snapped it up and then said, "My Good Sir, Learn that each flatterer
Lives at the cost of those who heed.
This lesson is well worth the cheese, indeed."
The Crow, ashamed and sick,
Swore, a bit late, not to fall again for that trick.

(Translated from the French by Norman Spector).

See the texture of the Fox’s fur and his attentive posture (there is even the hint of a knowing smile), the Crow’s feathers, and all the other minutiae of this woodland scene — all carved onto rock crystal. We love that the pendant is clear, with the story revealed only to those close to us.

This is a rare piece that is sentimental, collectible, and definitively wearable. A work of art in miniature, and surely one of a kind. We will never find another.

Chains shown are not included.

Marked with French horse’s head (in use 1847-1919).

18k gold, silver, rock crystal, antique rose cut diamond.

Dimensions and weight:

● 29 mm long (including bail)

● 21 mm wide

● 5.7 mm deep

● 5 grams

Period: Late Victorian/Edwardian

*Please note that all dimensions and weights are approximate. Age-commensurate wear may be present.

*For deliveries outside of the continental U.S., please contact us for shipping information.