Blue Sky, Daydreaming

Antique Victorian 9k gold, mother of pearl, and garnet horseshoe brooch. In Irish folklore, there once was a blacksmith hard at work forging horseshoes when suddenly the devil appeared and demanded that the blacksmith shoe his hoofed feet. Recognizing the devil, the blacksmith did as he was told but used a burning hot iron shoe that made the beast howl with pain. When the devil begged the blacksmith to remove the shoe, the wily man first made him swear that he would henceforth respect the horseshoe and never enter a home with a horseshoe hanging above the door. The horseshoe thus became a symbol of protection, security, and luck.