Ermine – brooch

Silver brooch with an ermine with winter white fur. Its eyes and tail are made of black diamonds. The animal walks through the snow caps, which in the brooch are decorated with 9 diamonds (white and black – stones in the snow).

The ermine is remarkably similar to the weasel – it differs from it only in winter in the black tip of its tail. In summer, their fur is brown.

“The Slavs believed that some animal species descended from a human forefather. Weasels were one of these species. In some parts of the Slavic region it was specified that they came from a young woman. In the west, weasel was called a maiden, in Poland, a weasel-maiden, and in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia – a bride, a daughter-in-law. The presence of a weasel in the farm yard was a guarantee of prosperity, success and happiness. It was considered the caretaker of the household. At the same time, a weasel, though so useful and friendly, could be vindictive. She repaid for the harm she suffered and was called the avenger. ” The text about weasel comes from the site https://blog.slowianskibestiariusz.pl/zycie-slowian/zwierzeta/lasica/

The ermine itself appears in Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “Lady with an Ermine”, where it is a symbol of Prince Louis Sforza – the lover of the portrayed Cecilia Galleriani. Louis Sforza, called by his contemporaries “Ermellino”, or “Ermine”, in reference to the prestigious Order of Ermine, of which he was a bachelor, used the image of this animal as his emblem.

Dimensions: 3 cm x 1,8 cm

Weight: 8,1 g

Silver 925