Mystery item revealed!

It was hard to photograph because of the glass and the light, but isn't it amazing?! It's from the Victorian Era, probably late 1800's, and it's been hiding in a corner for a long time, just waiting to be found by me. The last stop on our string of antique stores was this Victorian house in Fair Haven. It's a little inconspicuous from the outside - a beautiful brick exterior with intricate woodwork trim - but when you walk in, it's like that Hoarders show, but with really nice antiques. Probably better and more unusual antiques than you'd find almost anywhere, just piled, literally, from floor to ceiling. You wonder what's really even there because most of it is buried and covered with dust. Probably in most other antique stores most of the items would have been scooped up right away, but because you simply can't see most of it, you know there are magical things just waiting to be found. The only thing that brings you back to reality are the prices..you expect a dusty pile of stuff to be a bargain...but not quite at this place.
The owner, a super fascinating guy who followed us around chatting away, has a real appreciation for all of the objects and would probably be just as happy keeping them all as he would be selling them. But it was a real adventure going into his house. Just when we thought we saw everything, he opened another door and revealed another giant pile of things. And believe it or not, it was fairly organized with like things grouped together. We even went down into the basement, where many many many books and magazines lived (mom was happy as that's her forte). It was a neat adventure for sure!

So, back to the piece that I uncovered. I was looking at a kewpie cake topper when in the corner of my eye I spotted a part of this framed piece sticking out of a crevice in between a pile of boxes and a piece of furniture. I knew what it was immediately and was really surprised. I asked him about it and he was surprised that I even knew what it was, and even more, that I had an appreciation for it.

So what is it you ask? Well...it's something that rich Victorians had commissioned for their families way back when. The intricate detail of the flowers is amazing. It really reminds me of the seashell sailors Valentine's they made as souvenirs for Navy men around the same time, but I think these might be even more rare.

Each little flower is so delicate and detailed...and when it's moved, they have a gentle bounce to them.

Can you tell what the flowers are made of?

Can anyone guess? :)