Vintage Cabouchon Japanese Zodiac inspired sheep brooch with gold plating, black enamel and Austrian crystals

 This sheep brooch with gold plating, black enamel and Austrian crystals is part of the special Japanese Zodiac inspired collection by Cabouchon.

In AD604 Japan adopted the Chinese lunar calendar which had a twelve branch cycle of years named after animals. These zodiac animals not only represented time and directions of the compass, they were also integral part of fortune telling and divination, producing superstitions in Japan that have not yet entirely disappeared.

The story goes that Buddha summoned all of the world's animals to appear before him on New Year's Day but only twelve responded - the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and a boar.

As a reward, each animal was honoured by having a year designated with its name.

The years of the sheep include 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027.

According to the Japanese legend, if you are born in the year of the sheep, your personality is unassuming, calm, compose, modest, pensive and passive. Also artistic, refined, highly cultivated and charitable.

This is a rare opportunity as we have 2 of these in stock. Why not get both of them?

ABOUT CABOUCHON Cabouchon Jewellery was a high end Costume Jewellery Company, the Cabouchon jewellery range has been worn by several high society and famous ladies including: Princess Diana, Claudia Schiffer, Jerry Hall, and Marie Helvin.

All Cabouchon costume jewellery is triple plated with either 18ct gold, silver or rhodium. Rhodium belongs to the group of platinum metals and is more durable and precious than silver. Each piece is first plated with copper to give the smooth final finish, followed by a plating of palladium, which seals the copper from the gold and ensures the gold does not discolour. The third plating is a hardened gold up to 3 microns thick which gives extended wear life to the finished pieces. Flawless full lead Austrian crystals and cubic zirconias are used in items with stones. For jewellery pieces which have enamel, the enamel is of the highest quality.

Buff occasionally with a soft cloth to maintain the original shine.

These classic yet contemporary pieces talk of the past and whisper of the future. Cabouchon offers an extensive range of high quality fashion jewellery and accessories. The whole jewellery range is nickel allergy free with the exception of some brooches and cufflinks. They are either classical or just fun and blend beautifully with real jewellery. They appeal to both men and women of all ages and fashion tastes. As you can see the majority of the items are available as ONLY one item. We generally do not have second or third item of the same nature.