The advent of trains brought with it the necessity of accurate timekeeping, something that could be carried and consulted while on the move. From this need came the pocket watch, and with it, the tools required to keep it running. This antique Victorian bloodstone seal key fob was created for just such a purpose, a practical object rendered with beauty and intention. Though originally made as a watch key, its sculptural presence and generous scale make it a wonderfully unusual pendant today, rich with history and quiet authority.

The key itself is simply fantastic, set on both sides with a deep green round of bloodstone that glows against its warm gold frame. The bloodstone measures approximately 13 millimeters across, with one side carved in intaglio depicting a man holding a cluster of arrows while standing beside a crown, a scene filled with symbolic weight. The reverse side remains uncarved, allowing the stone’s natural beauty to speak for itself. The 15 karat gold mounting is beautifully rendered, substantial and restrained, with a fold-out watch key that still functions properly. The piece hangs from a swivel fob and measures approximately 38.8 millimeters north to south and 20.3 millimeters across, with a depth of 8.4 millimeters, and weighs 12.9 grams. The seal is unmarked, as is typical for the period, and the gold has been professionally tested and confirmed as 15 karat.

Handcrafted in England around 1860, this Victorian bloodstone watch key fob is a compelling example of antique English jewelry made to be used, handled, and carried daily. Whether worn now as a pendant or appreciated as a surviving piece of nineteenth-century horological history, it carries the confidence of an object that once served a purpose and still does. Personal, tactile, and quietly powerful, it is the kind of antique jewel that feels as meaningful today as it did more than a century ago.

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Item ID: FB1021116V