Isn't this locket a beauty! So ornate. Totally embellished to the hilt! It would have been just as pretty with only the hand painted enameled center...but wait! Let's add some green gold leaves. OK...are we done yet? No...I think it needs some applied pink gold flowers and some raised nodules or points on the sides. OK! Now we are done? Nope! Let's add some seed pearls set in buttercup settings. OK. Now we are done? Well at least for the front.
This piece is typical of the 1860s to 1870s. Large and ornate, yet very feminine and soft in nature.
Now for the back of the piece. It once had a pin stem and a bale for wearing as a pendant and a brooch. But why stop there! It is also a locket. This hidden locket compartment would hold a photo or memento of someone special. Allowing the wearer to hide her secret affections. No one would be any the wiser of this lady's feelings towards that someone special. With the onset of photography and the technology of making photos widely available to the common folk, lockets became hugely popular and they remain so even to this day.
Here you can see the side view of this locket. You gently pull up on the rim at the top, and the glass cover will lift off. This piece still has the original tinted paper insert and glass.
Just a beautiful locket in need of some minor repairs. Then it can once again hold that secret someone close to the heart.Happy Collecting!
To see more antique and vintage jewelry, stop by my shop.
Wicked Darling
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