This early Victorian pendant (formerly a brooch) is fashioned in she shape of a pansy with citrine, amethyst and garnet petals and a turquoise ovule. The name “pansy” derives from the French word “pensee” which means “thought.” Ever big on subtlety, the Victorians devised an entire symbolic language of flowers to express hidden thoughts and feelings. For example, a Victorian gentleman could express that he was thinking of his love by presenting her with a pansy - and she would understand what that meant! (Giving a pansy to a gentleman was considered bad luck). In fact, the pansy was considered to have magical love-inducing powers. The Celts and Ancient Greeks used the juice of a pansy as a love potion, and this floral elixir of amore even makes an appearance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.