This 18 kt gold stock pin is beautifully crafted, with many fine details. The bamboo style whip & deer’s foot hook takes this pin from ordinary to extraordinary.
The dealer who sold me this pin told me the Chinese inscription inside the horse shoe is for good luck. (I can’t attest to that, myself.) It is marked 18 kt, but there are no other marks from which we could date this piece. The simple “C” clasp suggests it is circa 1880-1920, but it could have been made at a later date using older techniques. At any rate, it is a stunning piece. It measures 2” long and the pin is 1 1/3”. The horse shoe center piece is 1/2” wide.