Early Victorian "Mars" Cameo Brooch moss agate and there's a striker on

and there's a striker on the bottom (safety matches weren't a thing back then)

and remains paired with the original tooled leather box

they were invented by René Dagron in 1857 as a way of viewing microphotographs without the need of an expensive microscope

and feature the most incredible fine filigree and ropework

Early Victorian "Mars" Cameo Brooch moss agate and there's a striker onDATE: Victorian, c. 1850 Mars, god of war (and also an agricultural guardian, apparently). This superb early Victorian cameo depicts Mars with shield and spear, wearing a magnificent helmet adorned with a griffin (the legendary beast with the head and wings of an eagle, and body of a lion). The son of Jupiter and Juno, Mars, unlike his Greek counterpart Ares, held an important and dignified position within the Roman pantheon. Whereas the Greeks saw