This lot has a fantastic 19th Century Purple Tourmaline Bust 9k Gold Stick Pin. The antique original stick pin is from an old West Virginia estate collection. Tourmaline is a fairly popular gemstone, but, purple tourmaline is not easily found. They have the ability to absorb light in different ways from different angles, a phenomenon known as pleochroism. While purple gemstones aren’t as common as stones of other colours, they remain popular because of how rare they are, and very few of them need to undergo any treatments to enhance their natural hues. The depth and layering of their colours and facets make for beautiful trinkets that stand out in a way that most other stones don’t. Purple also goes very well with all colours of metal, so these gems can be used in almost every kind of jewellery setting. While white metals like silver, white gold and platinum give purple stones a more contemporary look, rose and yellow gold settings make the jewel look more vintage. This stick pin was most likely made for a daughter, the small bust appears to be that of a younger female. The stick pin is in good overall condition, the stone is intact. The green velvet case is in good overall condition, lock mechanism is in good working condition, soiling noted. Pin measures 3"L