A rare, Victorian era, pendant knife, whose 14k gold case is decorated with a repoussé snake motif! The rattlesnakes on either side of this pen knife weave in and out of its surface, which has been designed to look like punctured sheets of paper. Their bodies are highly detailed, with a fine, scaled texture, and their mouths stand open in a fierce hissing gesture. This knife's four carbon steel blades have been well-maintained with knife oil (one of them is a small file), and they are marked L&K. This lovely old jewel is monogrammed CB, on one side, in curling period script. It hangs from a riveted, oversized bail. This is tough and beautiful, and it's especially striking hanging from a long chain! It might have originally hung on a gentleman's watch chain, or it may have been carried in a vest pocket. Condition is excellent.

Materials

14k gold

Age

c. 1900

Dimensions

Measures approx 9.8 mm (about 1/3") x 3" (including bail).