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.
No comments:
Post a Comment