A rare and wonderfully tactile heart-shaped rock crystal amulet, probably German and dating to 17th - 18th century.
The clear rock crystal has been carefully cut and faceted into a plump heart form and held within a hand-worked silver mount with a distinctive toothed or zigzag setting. A simple suspension loop allowed it to be worn close to the body. A crack or fissure that does run all the way through is on one side.
Although to modern eyes the heart might immediately suggest a love token, early rock crystal hearts could have a very different significance.
Closely related examples survive in the Museum Schnütgen in Cologne, where heart-shaped rock crystal pendants are identified as so-called “fright” or “scare stones” (Schrecksteine). Such amulets belonged to a world in which the boundaries between jewellery, medicine, religion and protective magic were remarkably fluid.
They were particularly associated with women and children. Rock crystal scare stones were believed to protect small children and expectant mothers from fright — something then thought capable of harming an unborn child. Rock crystal itself had long been credited with protective and beneficial properties.
Comparable German rock crystal amulets of the 16th and early 17th centuries also employ distinctive toothed or zigzag metal settings closely related to that seen on this pendant.
We cannot know with certainty how this particular heart was understood or used by its original owner, but its form and construction place it within a fascinating European tradition of rock crystal being worn close to the body as both a precious ornament and an object invested with meaning.
The crystal retains small natural inclusions and the mount shows the irregularity and wear expected of an early hand-worked jewel. Please see my film exploring this wonderful jewel in the film section. Title The Strange Powers of a 17th Century Rock crystal heart
Article - https://www.cordeliadonohoe.com/post/love-or-fear-the-strange-story-of-a-rock-crystal-heart
Origin: Probably German
Date: 17th century, possibly 18th
Material: Rock crystal and metal
Form: Heart-shaped pendant / amulet. Height 3cms weight 8 grams
