Lovely hand carved and gilded rock crystal pendant depicting a crocodile resting in lotus plants, the green of the lotus represented by tsavorite garnets. The crocodile was inspired by its namesake found on one of the four faces of the Signet Ring of Horemheb, the last Pharaoh of Egypt's 18th Dynasty, while the inspiration for the lotus plants came from a carved jasper gem at a recent Christie's auction. The Horemheb's ring is held at the Musee du Louvre. Horemheb's ring wasn't designed to be worn, rather it was used as a seal for applying official stamps. Crocodiles, while symbols of danger mastered by Pharoah - the guarantor of order - were also symbols of royalty. Like scorpions, they were believed to have apotropaic qualities, they held the power to guard against bad luck and evil influences, so it may have been used to provide sealed official documents with an extra layer of security against official orders being disobeyed. Crocodile images were also used extensively as protective amulets and charms. Handmade in recycled 22k yellow gold and Ataléia rock crystal from Brazil and Kenyan tsavorite garnets (.30ctw). The chain is approximately 40.5 cm or 16 in long. One-of-a-kind.
