Its maker, Frederick James Partridge (1877-1942) belonged to the arts and crafts organization, Guild of Handicraft, which operated in Birmingham. Its motto was “By Hammer and Hand.”

This hair pin depicts a serpent made of silver plique-à-jour enamel and opal. c. 1900. The silver ornament at its base unscrews, so it can be fitted properly in the hair. This piece has provenance in three books of the jewelry-history literature. The picture shows the front, the back, and the pin at actual size. It is priced in the $10,000+ range at the Tadema Gallery in London.