Featured Hair Mourning Brooch

I bought this lovely little brooch from a village sale in the bric a brac. Didn’t realise quite what it was until I took a good look when I got home.
Do you think this is a painting or doctored photo? Or what?. Under a lens I can’t see any dots.
Her eyes are the most stunning blue- so much so that she almost looks alive. Quite took me aback when I looked through the lens.
I was going to sell it but it doesn’t feel quite right if it is a mourning brooch.
Any date suggestions?

 

looks like a painting
you bought it...........why not sell it..........unless it's a family item...

 

gorgeous...

 

on the edge of what ?
you mean the twisted wire holding the hair in place ??

 

Likely to be a colored photograph. And, as they did such a good job matching her hair color, likely her eyes were that lovely blue too. Mourning jewelry I'd think.

Debora

 

Lovely

 

The word on the left is silver.

 

Beautiful and sad at the same time..

 

Probably sterling silver; it looks it even without the marking. The stones are glass, most likely. It's possible that's a lock of baby hair in the back, and this was a Mother's Day gift or something similar. The frame was shiny originally instead of dark.

 

I think: A) it's a boy & B) as evelyb30 said, not necessarily a mourning piece. Lock of hair could be a memento of first time those curls were cut. Having all that sparkle around the portrait is a pretty cheery way to indicate grief.

 

No. I'm sorry !
There are times when I don't see what you see !!
& other times.......when you see it all !!!

 

not by much..........

 

It is a beauty, KSW.
I agree, not necessarily mourning, could just be for a mother to keep her little darling close to her heart. The frame would have been brighter, like evelyb said. The stones are white, for purity.
As Bronwen said, the lock could be a memento of first time the hair was cut, although it seems to have been cut on both sides. Which could mean more hair to cut (short), so maybe a boy. Overhere boy's hair was cut short around the age of five, which could be the age of the child in the photo.
Cutting a boy's hair short meant he went from little child to proper boy. The brooch could have been a fond memory for the mother of the time when he was still a little angel at his mother's knee.
Photography in jewellery started ca 1860. I think this little treasure was made shortly after.

Hadn't noticed.

 

Precious little thing! I'd go for a girl, painted photo, not necessarily mourning if there is no written dates
A little polishing with sunshine cloth will return its glory

 

A very emotive find often rid because most people have problems with human parts…
In most cultural societies the use as a memento mori is joined with a name, group of words or a date to commemorate them, I know only the european ones which can give the name, age of death, dates of birth and death, often in this order, Swiss ones, french and english I have or had in my possession are in this order.
In this case it's certainly just a remembrance as you said, made in the 1850-1920 period in my opinion looking at the cut of the glass and how the back is mounted on the machine made enclosure, the golden wire often broke because it's made on silk and acidity of copper/gold flat wire destroy the silk thread, near impossible to make other than preserve.
I often have this type of item to clean from families, the glass is fragile but with watch hand levers you can take it out without risks.

 

Very oddly I had no intention of keeping it until I looked at his/her eyes through the lens. Call me soft but I've got kids and the love and emotion that went into this piece really hit home. I'll never make a fortune will I!

 

Sunshine cloth- I'll look for one if those. Think I may give myself a polish with it as well!