Antique Gaming Counter Pendant

This remarkable pendant centers on an antique mother-of-pearl gaming counter, an object that reflects a time when even the smallest details of leisure were crafted with extraordinary care. Once used in elegant gaming salons as precursors to modern poker chips, these finely carved counters remain fascinating artifacts of luxury and trade.

The counter featured here displays a charming vignette with two figures, executed with exceptional depth and precision in luminous mother of pearl. Its crisp carving and beautifully preserved surface highlight the artistry of the original maker.

The historic counter is set within a custom 18k gold pendant, handmade and Florentine engraved in Florence, Italy. The richly textured gold frame provides a refined setting for this unique piece of history.

SPECIFICATIONS
Antique Mother-of-Pearl Gaming Counter
Metal — 18k gold
Length — approximately 49mm (1.93")
Includes adjustable 18" Italian gold chain

Style No. GC-18.1
Made in Italy by Cynthia Scott Jewelry

Learn more about Florentine engraving.

ABOUT ANTIQUE GAMING COUNTERS
Hand engraved during the middle period of the Ch’ing Dynasty, the last dynasty of Imperial China, mother-of-pearl gaming counters were produced for the East India Trading Company and other European merchants who had settled in China. As trade routes expanded, ships returned to Europe carrying exotic silks, spices, and finely crafted objects previously unknown to Western audiences.

Among the most fashionable of these imports were the beautifully carved mother-of-pearl gaming counters. Many sets were commissioned by British nobility and aristocratic families, sometimes incorporating monograms or heraldic crests into the designs, making them both functional objects and symbols of refinement.