Mercury is a large 40mm double sided medal depicting a cloaked Mercury on a laurel covered background on the front and a laurel branch with the words Le Petit Provençal on the back. This statement piece is on a double chain of 8mm faceted hematite rosary on black wire and antique silver oval links that is 18.5” long.

Le Petit Provençal (The Little Provincial) was a French provincial daily newspaper founded in Marseille and was in existence from 1880-1944.

The Artist is Édouard Charles Fraisse, born May 14, 1880 in Beaune and died September 13, 1945. He was a French painter, sculptor and medallist who’s works are essentially inspired by sport.

Hematite has historically been known as a stone with power to heal and protect. This stone was considered to be an early form of a mirror thanks to its reflective sheen. It was also ground down into powdered pigment for artists, smeared onto the faces of Native Americans for war paint and in its full form, Hematite adorned the tombs of the pharaohs.