A bow is the oldest promise in jewelry: the gift is wrapped, the knot is tied, and something precious waits at the center. Here the ribbon is worked in two golds, rosy pink loops folding over yellow tails, and the knot is a carved green stone held in four claws, its domed back cut with the lines of a scarab beetle. A pin stem runs across the back. Marked "10 KT" with a maker's mark, it would welcome a gentle cleaning.

Big, sculptural bows in mixed rose and yellow gold are a signature of the Retro period (roughly 1935 to 1950), when platinum went to the war effort and jewelers turned to gold and bold, three-dimensional forms. The scarab is a souvenir of the Egyptian revival, which had flourished ever since Verdi's Aida opened in Cairo in 1871 and roared back with the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

The Details

• Era: Retro, ca. 1940s
• Metal: 10k rose and yellow gold
• Stones: One carved green stone, in the form of a scarab (untested)
• Marks: "10 KT" and a maker's mark
• Measurements: About 57 mm (2.25 in.) wide
• Weight: 7.3 grams
• Condition: Good; would benefit from a cleaning.