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THBHard Stone Dress Cane
About Seller
125 West Market Street
Johnson City, TN 37604
United States
Family-owned and family-run Johnson City Tennessee auction business for 25 years. Selling antiques and collectables for 38 years. Kimball M. Sterling, Inc. was founded and is owned by Kimball and Victoria Sterling, time and again, they have laid solid claim to world-wide attention and renown with an...Read more
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About Auction
LiveJan 3, 2026
Masterpiece Cane auction is all from a Europeon collection. We offer items from this private collection about once a year, Kimball Sterling kimballsterling@earthlink.net
View Full Catalog (89)
- Lot Description
Ca. 1900
This distinguished French dress cane features a smooth, polished sardonyx ball knob with striking natural banding and crisp, stacked layers of black and white that reveal the stone’s inherent character. The finely tooled, two-tone metal collar offers a refined transition to a richly hued tropical-wood shaft, notable for its tight grain and beautifully aged surface. A horn ferrule completes the piece, underscoring its quality and its status as a high-end decorative accessory of the period.
Treasured since antiquity, sardonyx has been valued for over 4,000 years. In ancient Egypt and throughout the classical world, its distinct layers made it ideal for cameos and intaglios. Roman women famously wore sardonyx cameos of Venus, hoping to draw on the goddess’s powers of love and charm. At the same time, soldiers carried carvings of Mars for courage and protection in battle. The stone’s smooth surface and resistance to hot wax also made it a preferred material for seals and signet rings, lending authority and authenticity to official documents.
In this cane, the long heritage of sardonyx craftsmanship converges with the refined taste of turn-of-the-century France, resulting in an object that is both an elegant adornment and a quiet echo of ancient traditions.
H. 1 ½ in. × 2 ¼ in., O.L. 37 ¾ in.
$200-$300
Across civilizations, natural stones have held meanings that long predate scientific study, with their colors and layered beauty shaping beliefs about life, power, and protection. From ancient amulets to modern jewelry, they have served as lasting symbols of permanence in a fleeting world. Even today, their presence echoes with the same quiet authority, creating a timeless dialogue between human skill and the Earth itself.
The ancestral power of amulets, talismans, and mascots has existed since the first humans and will continue to exist until the last.
This enduring presence reflects the horse's central role throughout history, as a means of transport, an agricultural resource, a companion in sport and hunting, and a participant in warfare.
Before the advent of the motor car, a gentleman’s status could be measured by the quality of his horses, carriages, and grooms. And just as those horses reflected the discernment and elegance of their original owner, a finely crafted cane today can reveal the collector’s own eye for history, artistry, and distinction.
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