Gold filigree hairpin with inlaid rubies and sapphires

This pair of dangling hairpins decorated with inlaid ruby insects on the top of the set. The antennae of the insects would be swing and shaking, if the bearer of this set moved her head. The two Chinese characters “Fu” and “Shou” means “blessing” and “longevity”, along with the plum flower carrying deer at the bottom, the three iconographic combination reflects the people of Ming Dynasty yearning for a more plentiful life.