Featured Age & origin of rock crystal pendant

Amazing what comes out of a bag of modern costume tat!
This is c2” top to bottom and the gems test as quartz. The pendant loop is silver and looks to be a later addition. I suspect it started life as a brooch and someone cleverly used the hinge to attach a loop!
There is a remnant of a clasp at the bottom.
The main body tests as base metal. The back has a brassy coloured wash, the front is more silvery. The flash yellows the front more than it is.
The gems are all embedded by some fairly rough metal. Any ideas as to age and origin please?
Thankyou all

 

Missed this one! It shows the colour more accurately with the gold wash and more silver areas.

 

Ksw, nice pendant!
I am not sure, but to me this one has a Indian vibe. Might be Sri Lanka or another neighbor country. I m no expert on these things.
I m sure people with more knowledge will chime in.

 

If those were glass, I’d have said thirties costume and European. Quartz, though. Hm.

 

Wow, K, geat find!
It is Peranakan / Straits Chinese. Probably from Singapore or Riau-Lingga, Indonesian islands close to Singapore.

The heart shape is similar to the shape of some kerosang, kebaya pins. It could have been introduced by the Portuguese.
The shape of the settings is reminiscent of Javanese diamond settings, my Javanese cross in the thread below has a few similar leaf shaped settings:

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/i...ction-cross-pendant.73880/page-4#post-4582924

 

Very close, Dessert. A lot of Malay and Indonesian jewellery is related to Indian jewellery.
Centuries ago people from various parts of India settled in Indonesia, and missionaries and traders have visited Indonesia throughout its known history. The first important royal dynasties in Java were Indian.
Indonesia actually means "Indian islands".

 

Just wondering, did you test all of the stones? Similar Javanese jewellery can be set with a mix of clear stones, like rock crystal, white sapphire and diamonds.

 

Oh wow, I was only about 10k miles out!. Do you think it is a similar time frame as in the second half of the 19th century?

No, I just tested a couple. That would be too good wouldn’t it although I doubt I can be quite that lucky!

Thats what I was thinking!
I have ‘liked’ all the answers but my likes keep vanishing which is odd but Thankyou all!

 

@Any Jewelry is this accurate? It’s a good read if it is.
https://antique-castle-rings.com/blogs/jewellery-traditions-around-the-world/seronkang
Is this quite a rare piece of jewellery or have I just not come across it before?

It found me. Threw itself out of a bag of fake Pandora and scrap

 

That's alright then.

I think it is ca 1900.
The hinged bail is probably original. If it had been a pin hinge, the hinge would be in the wrong place because it should go sideways.

It is incomplete, but yes, it is a good read. If they mention the Peranakans of Indian origin, they might as well mention the other groups (Dutch Peranakan, Portuguese P.) as well. I would have limited the story to the Peranakan Chinese.
And it would have been nice to see a mention of the origin of kebaya pins in general, they are originally Javanese. But this specific style is Peranakan.

Yours is a more humble version of the one that sold at Sotheby’s in 2008 for 68,750 HKD ( 7,341 EUR), only that one is round.
Even without the diamonds, and not gold but gold plated, yours should still do well.

It isn't something you come across regularly here in Europe. There are more in Singapore and surrounding areas.

It didn't want to be associated with the riff raff.

 

Wow, totally out of my wheelhouse. All I would have thought was "unusual..what is this?"

Great info shared and amazing find!

 

Didn't want to be associated with the Paparazzi and Lia Sophia. As others said, check all the stones since jewelers back in the day used whatever came handy.

 

Wooohoo, K!
The most amazing things found YOU!
AJ is the utmost amazing expert for Peranakan jewellery (and their culture!).

 

I am no expert, but I do recognize it. It is nearly always beautiful, and often stunning work.

 

If the diamond one is good enough for Lizzie, I’m happy with the humble version (very polite description by the way AJ)

Think it will stay with me, at least for the moment, I have lots of boring stuff to sell and I love something I can learn from.

Absolutely. We have standards around here!

I know!, I can’t even say I spotted it through the bag because I didn’t, I just know that shop toss all the odds and ends in a bag and it’s worth a punt for a fiver. If I hadn’t been educated here I probably wouldn’t have spotted it was any different to the 1960s pot metal brooches with glued stones so I can see how it was missed.

Phenomenal knowledge and it’s very much appreciated that it is so willingly shared with us

 

Congratulations on the interesting purchase, @KSW !

 

Thankyou Fig