Butterfly Floral Enamel Necklace

Inspired from a necklace and earrings possibly made in Italy between 1666 and 1699. The original was made in gold, decorated with painted enamel and set with table-cut emeralds and pearls, the links in the form of flowers, with a butterfly pendant, hung with an emerald cabouchon. It is an old Chinese superstition that butterflies are the personification of the human soul. In some cultures butterflies also symbolise rebirth.