This is a good example of a Georgian 9ct gold memorial brooch. The snake motif means "For eternity". It was very commonly used throughout the Georgian and Victorian periods. It is further decorated with crosshatched black enamel for "Death". The pearls are for "Tears" and there is a small diamond in the eye for "passing over to the light". Finally there is a dash of red enamel just for good measure for "the blood of Christ" ! For a collector of mourning jewellery I would highly recommend this piece.