Stag tooth brooch

This green enamelled gold brooch takes the form of holly leaves tied in a bow with tartan ribbon and studded with two polished stag’s teeth. It was given to Queen Victoria on her birthday, 24 May 1851. The tooth is from a stag shot at Dee by Prince Albert on September 11, 1850.

The culture of hunting and shooting was highly developed in Prince Albert’s Thuringian homeland, where it was customary to mount stag teeth into pieces of jewellery. Traditionally teeth were thought to have magical properties, but it is more likely that the Prince used them for their sentimental and decorative appeal.