Once the Floriography craze caught on, entire gardens, indoor and in greenhouses, were developed to cultivate rare flowers to use in the home and as accessories. By the early 19th century, publishers started to cash in on this growing trend, compiling lists of flowers and their secret meanings. Symbolism was assigned based on myths, traditions, medical use, color, or just the imagination of whoever was writing the dictionary. Cosmos don't appear consistently in Victorian flower books, but when you consider their name - from the Greek kosmos - they mean order, harmony, or an orderly universe.
MATERIALS: 10k gold (tests), 8 rose cut diamonds (2 4.5mm, 1 4mm, 3 2.5mm, 1 1.5mm, 2 1mm), 25 seed pearls, 1 1/8" x 1" oval slab onyx, new 14k gold chain
AGE: c. 1860
CONDITION: Very good - most likely converted from a brooch into a pendant at some point in time
SIZE: 1 5/8" length including the bale, 1 1/8" width, 18" chain