Any thoughts about this locket?

This locket was my mother's, probably bought in an antiques shop or at an antiques show, I think in the 1960s. I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but think it's about 1-1/2" to 2" in diameter.

It's not marked and I don't have a kit to test metals. I know I should get one, but I'm sensitive to chemicals... do the substances used have much of a smell and are they toxic?

The styling is Victorian, but is it possible it's a revival piece?

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

 

well, my 1st thought is......nice photo''s !!!

 

Aw, thanks Komo. The credit goes to my camera!

 

Ya sure......like the camera did all the work !

 

Well, okay, I'll take 50% of the credit.

 

I don't think iit was old in the 1960s.
The first picture looks like the 1960s filigree that was popular.

If I had to guess, it looks like a gold plated locket from the 1960s.

 

Beautiful locket, no matter when it was made.

 

Pat, thanks for your thoughts. After googling 50s and 60s lockets, I see what you mean since it looks like there were a lot of Victorian-style pieces produced then. Although I didn't find the same locket, I did see some similar ones and if it's mid-century, it's possible my mother bought it new at a department store.

Davey, thanks for the info. I think I will get a kit, but it sounds like I'll need to have my husband do the testing.

Fig, thanks. I like it, too.

 

The inside says Newer even if the outside didn't. They changed the construction of lockets about then, especially the costume pieces. The pierced work on the front is straight up 60s too.

 

Thanks, Evelyb. What was it that changed in the construction at that time?

I measured the locket... it's 1-1/2" in diameter, not including the loop. The color is more coppery than it looks in the photos, especially the back, and a magnet doesn't attract it.

Is this probably plating over brass? Or could it be over copper? There's a tiny bit of verdigris on the front... is there something I can do about that?

 

Just the way things were put together. If you put a 30s locket next to a Victorian one next to a 70s one, even if they're all gold-filled, you'll see. The colors, the way the metal is bent, etc. My guess is yours is goldtone over brass. For the green, put a little ketchup on it and let it sit for an hour. Wipe off. The green will be gone. The coating underneath is already toast. It's an old jewelry dealer trick. The acid in the ketchup eats off the corrosion without hurting the metal underneath, and it can be used on rhinestone pieces. Since you have those plastic gizmos inside it can't be dunked in vinegar.

 

Thanks, Evelyb, for the explanation and tip!

Yeah, I was thinking the way the metal is folded over to the insides with little tabs didn't have a Victorian look. Also my hunch was the flat loop at the top didn't look right for an older piece. And yet at first I was fooled and thought this pendant was older!

Does vinegar do the same thing that the ketchup does? Should I use a jeweler's cloth on it after removing the verdigris?

 

The acid in both is what does the trick, so yes. However, getting rhinestones with paint on the back wet is a Really Really Bad Idea. You might get lucky, but over time exposure to moisture tends to damage the paint and you get those yucky gray "dead" stones that aren't anything but garbage can bait. You can dunk chains and the like in vinegar to get rid of greenies, but not stones or anything that will trap moisture. It's just a way to get it to happen all over again. As to a jeweler's cloth, go right ahead. I don't think it'll do much one way or the other but it won't hurt anything.

 

Makes sense... thanks.

Because of the problem of moisture getting inside, I've never tried getting rid of verdigris on antique buttons and even threw some out. But ketchup just may do the trick for the ones I still have.

 

If it's "new" green, I use my fingernail. If it's dried and sitting there I either leave bad enough alone or use the other two methods as appropriate.

 

I'll have a whole new outlook on old metal now. Thanks, again.

 

Here is a link to how proceed with "sensible" pieces
http://vintagecostumejewels.com/Info/How_to_Clean_Verdigris_From_Costume_Jewelry.htm

 

That's pretty much it. I'm afraid I generally junk the glass pearls, since by the time the clasp corrodes or goes green the pearls are generally chipped up or discolored already. If the glass underneath is nice, they can be soaked in acetone to remove the chipped paint and be worn as just some nice glass beads.