Sitting On Top Of The World - Victorian Lion Locket

You never forget your first!...Locket that is. If you are a collector, you know exactly what I mean. You most likely remember that moment in time when you caught the fever. When you discovered what would begin a life long quest for another...and another. This locket was my first. It is the locket that gave me locket fever. I can remember where I found it. The day I found it. The weather on that day! Let me say that I usually cannot remember what I did earlier in the day, but I found this antique Victorian locket almost 30 years ago and I still remember the details! I had to rescue it from a tangled mess of beads and chains. It was in a box of "junk" at a housewares - antique shop. I was so determined to set it free from this lowly junk box. It seemed to take forever. I purchased the locket and went on my way. We were on a road trip. A very long road trip. I remember holding it in my hands and inspecting it for the next 10 hours. What a treasure!

It also appears that it held a stone at one time. Perhaps in the mouth of the lion. You can see here that part of his face is flattened and has a different color metal. You will see below, in one of the photos, that someone attempted a crude repair from the inside of the locket.

At the time I knew very little about Victorian jewelry, but I knew that was about to change. I bought every book about antique jewelry that I could get my hands on. This was long before we had computers or the internet. Look how majestic this lion is! Sitting on top of the world. I now believe that he represents Great Britain. He dates to the 1870s.

You can see the detail in this locket and why I became obsessed!

Just amazing! My photos do not do this locket justice!

Just look at the intricate hand chased or hand engraved details on the back of the locket. The engraving was actually what fascinated me about the locket. I had worked in a fine jewelry store and had done engraving using a machine. That was difficult enough...and I knew what kind of skill was required to do the level of engraving that was on this locket.

You can see the crude repair. Also, there is hair under glass. Original to the locket.

I have really enjoyed this locket! It has given me so much pleasure and strangely enough...the locket with a globe and a map on the front, may have set me on a course that would ultimately change the direction of my life. A course that I happily travel on everyday! :) Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.

Wicked Darling

Dog Days of Summer - Victorian Dog Locket - Spinner Fob

This antique Victorian era locket - spinner fob is magnificent! It has two dogs, Spaniels or perhaps Labradors, standing face to face at the top. It is an extremely large piece and very heavy! I have not tested the locket as to metal content, but it has a gold tone. On one side is a beautiful agate and the flip side is bloodstone. It dates to the 1850s - 1860s. The Civil War Era.

Look at the amazing detail in the dogs!

You can see in this photo how the locket part flips. The locket is very deep and would have easily held a tintype or daguerreotype photo.

Here is a view of the front and back. The edges are beautiful!

You can see here that it opens on both sides.

This is a view of the inside of the locket.

Look how massive this locket fob is! Just a beauty! I have been wanting to share this piece with you for sometime now. I hope that you have enjoyed seeing it. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

To see more antique and vintage jewelry, please stop by my shop.

Wicked Darling

Georgian On My Mind - Late Georgian - Early Victorian Bracelet

This is such a gorgeous antique bracelet! For the most part, the research that I have done on this piece suggests that it is Georgian. However, I have also seen this style come up while doing research on Victorian jewelry. It is my opinion that this bracelet dates to the 1830s...possibly 184os. Opinions do change and with more research, I may come to a slightly different conclusion. This antique bracelet is made of silver and is very unique! I will explain more details below.

The bracelet is very wide. There are 16 strands of silver linked chain. There is a safety chain, but I am quite sure that it was added at a much later date. What is so unique about this bracelet, is the fact that there is a clasp on each side. In other words...The chains can be totally removed from the centerpiece. It makes me wonder if this bracelet could have been transformed into a choker by attaching a longer section of chains. I think the loop that you see, was originally used for converting the centerpiece into a pendant. It now holds the spring ring for the safety chain. Of course this is merely speculation on my part. (Speculation...I think I have been watching too much Court TV!)

There are x's engraved on one side of the clasp. Both sides of the clasps work alike.

The centerpiece is beautiful. A small ruby or garnet is surrounded by tiny seed pearls. All encased by black enamel.

Note how ornate the silver work is. Scrolls, flowers and flourishes.

The chain is dainty yet substantial. Each link appears to be handmade.

You can get an idea of how this chain flows when worn. Beautiful!

I hope to find out more about this bracelet. When I do, I will come back and make a post about it. This is just another antique piece that I wanted to share with you. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

To see more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop!

Wicked Darling

This Is It - Art Nouveau Enameled Face Pin - May Look Familiar

Does this face look familiar to you? It does to me! Every time that I look at this Art Nouveau enameled stickpin, I think of Michael Jackson! The eyeliner, the kind smile...and (OK...don't kill the messenger) the nose. It is almost as if someone in the 1890s climbed aboard a time machine and landed in the year 2005...saw Michael Jackson...became a fan...traveled back to the 1890s...and made this stickpin!

As you can see this is signed on the pin "P.S.CO". This is the mark of the Plainville Stock Company out of Plainville, Massachusetts. In business from 1896 to the present time.

You can see the beautiful color in the enamel. It has an iridescent and luminous quality.

The pin is a rolled gold and shows wear to the finish.

This shows the construction from the back of the stickpin.

These enameled Art Nouveau pieces are extremely hard to come by and I am happy to have this one, even with the damage to the enamel. I hope that you have enjoyed seeing it and I hope that it brought a smile to your face. One last thing that you should know. I have always been a fan of Michael Jackson. I feel like we grew up together! So no disrespect was intended by this post.

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.
Wicked Darling

We All Love a Beautiful Purse - Victorian Enameled Purse Locket

We all love a beautiful purse and the Victorian ladies were no exception. This gorgeous antique Victorian purse locket dates to around 1875. It is gold with an over all blue enamel. The color of this enamel is often referred to as "robin's egg blue". There is also black enamel in the hand engraved recessed areas. This type of enamel is known as Taille d' Epergne. (You may also see this spelled Taille d' Epargne.) Set in the center, is a tiny natural seed pearl. Although this beauty is in need of a repair, I wanted to share it with you. It simply needs a pin replaced in the hinge.

This is the front and back of the beautiful locket. It is becoming hard to find these enameled antique lockets. Especially lockets that do not have a lot of damage to the enamel. That being said, even the lockets with quite a bit of damage to the enamel, are highly sought after! As a collector, damage to the enamel does not deter me. To me it shows that the piece was treasured and worn with love. However, some collectors want pristine pieces. To each his own. This locket has a teeny flee flick out of one of the enameled ivy leaves.

The inside of this tiny purse locket reveals the original paper inserts and photo rims, as well as a remaining glass cover on one side.

The side view shows the detailed craftsmanship that went into the making of this locket.

The bottom view of the locket. Notice how flush and precise the gold work is on the hinge and edges. These types of enameled lockets are found in gold and silver.

The back is just as detailed and ladylike as the front.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing this tiny treasure from my collection. I have many more treasures to share with you! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.

Wicked Darling

Struttin' Your Stuff - Vintage Peacock Brooch

Such a magnificent piece! This huge vintage peacock brooch has plenty of reason to strut! The craftsmanship is so beautiful. It has rubies and emeralds set over the entire piece. Even on the peacock's lower body. I am still researching this piece...so the jury is still out as to the metal content and exact age. I do believe that it is Middle Eastern in origin.

Notice the granular work that covers the entire front of the brooch.

You can see that the stones are open backed and really catch the light.

There is a hook on the back as well as a pin. So this can be worn as a pendant or a brooch.

The pin stem does extend past the actual brooch itself. This normally is an indication of age, but in this case I cannot say for sure. The nature of the construction could be a technique specific to a certain region.

Just a lovely piece that I wanted to share with you. I am really enjoying the research aspect of this piece and hope to bring you an update soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, please visit my shop.

Wicked Darling

The Flower Girl - Art Nouveau Charm

Since June is such a popular month for weddings, I thought I would share this Art Nouveau flower girl charm with you. Actually...she would be a poppy girl. The image of the poppy was used frequently during the Art Nouveau era. This sweet flower girl dates to around 1890. She sure doesn't look her age!

It was quite hard to capture the true color and detail in this charm. The flower has a green cast and her hair is very golden.

Her face is so expressive. Especially her eyes!

Her face reminds me very much of a classical Roman statue.

This is the back side of the charm....obviously! :)

Her gaze seems to change each time I look at her. She is just beautiful! I hope that you have enjoyed seeing her. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Collecting!

For more antique and vintage jewelry, stop by my shop.
Wicked Darling