MICROMOSAIC Onyx Silver Gold Victorian Magnifying Locket Mourning Pendant Floral

  

Many interesting things going on in this little French antique Georgian to Victorian era mourning locket. The setting is in vermeil / gold plated solid silver with reticulated outline.

The cover of the locket is black onyx (or black Belgian marble was also sometimes used) inlaid with a micromosaic floral design. It's amazing when you look at it under magnification all the tiny pieces in various colors assembled to make the floral design.

This is truly an example of jewelry as art. Flipping the piece over provides an additional surprise in that the back opens as a locket. Then, the glass cover of the locket is convex making it a magnifier.

So the glass would enlarge any photo inserted behind it, or could be opened and held up to the page to serve as a sort of magnifying glass. Beautiful warm antique gold wash color to the metal.

Marked on the large loop attached to the piece with the boar's head hallmark for French solid silver. It measures about 1 1/2 inches tall to the top of the loop by an inch wide by 3/8 of an inch deep.

There are two cracks to the black background stone extending out from the micromosaic work along with two other hairline fissures and some flea bite chips to the beveled edges of the stone. The black helps mask this but you can see them when you study the surface in a reflection. These are visible from the inside of the locket as well, since when you open it, you are looking at the back of the mosaic stone. There looks to be a few tiny pieces of mosaic missing around the outline, one to the top left of the flower for example. Not the dark spot you see in the top center of the flower, this is green and part of the mosaic and is intact.

It is along the outside edge where there seems to be vacant space here and there. The main body of the micromosaic work is intact, with no large areas of loss or missing spots of color. There is a scratch to the magnifying glass on the back. A few areas of gold wash / plating loss especially at the top where the bale and loop have rubbed over time, allowing the underlying solid silver to show through. Hinge is very tight and it opens nicely and remains closed.

Some surface wear, scuffs, scratches throughout but I don't see any deep dings or dents to the metal. But due to age, p lease note this is not a mint condition item, especially taking into account the small cracks. Still many years left in this old beauty from an interesting period in history. I dearly love, collect, use and sell antiques so please check out my other listings and thanks so much for stopping by my store! FROM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 TO Sunday, December 20.

YOU CAN SELECT THIS OPTION FOR AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE ON THE CHECKOUT SCREEN. The item "MICROMOSAIC Onyx Silver Gold Victorian Magnifying Locket Mourning Pendant Floral" is in sale since Monday, December 21, 2020. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Victorian, Edwardian 1837-1910\Mourning Jewelry". The seller is "callmemouse" and is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This item can be shipped to United States, China, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.

1. Country/Region of Manufacture: France
2. Material: Solid Silver
3. Featured Refinements: Mourning Locket
4. Era: Victorian
5. Metal Purity: 800 parts per 1000 or more
6. Main Stone: Onyx
7. Metal: Gold Filled