Featured Antique (1800 or 1900?) Locket/Brooch Mystery

Hello all,

I recently bought this 18k locket/brooch for a personal project. Basically I’m commissioning a lovers eye painting for it and plan to wear it on a chain.

It appears to me to have been used as hair/memorial brooch, but exactly when is baffling as I haven’t seen anything else that looks much like it.

As of right now my best guess is that is early Victorian, and European as it is heavily hallmarked. Otherwise I have been unable to identify its hallmarks or truly nail down its era. It came with its custom fitted box, and the seller had little to no info on it. Any advice is truly welcome.

 

Late 19th, I would say. Since there does not appear to be room in the box for anything below the oval, the hook at the bottom was probably for a watch. Have seen many Victorian era brooches with hinges repaired in this manner. If you're going to wear it the other way up as a pendant, you might want to undo the repair & set aside the pin stem so you don't keep sticking yourself when wearing & so it can be restored as a brooch if desired.

My best shot at the marks is that they're French, but we have others who will be along who know better than I.

 

a little damage and some repair....but the front is very pretty.

Victorian seems a good fit.......but I suspect the box it came in is not original to the brooch.

https://navettejewellery.org/2018/05/28/dating-brooches-clasps-part-1/

those tiny stamps may be French......

The Joolies will be around to extoll it's virtues !!!!

@Bronwen ......... ( ooops...sniped by the master,,)
@mirana

 

& she knows better than I ............ but I've picked up a few things....just hanging with my peeps here !!!

 

possibly a style of victorian ring box.......

 

https://www.antikvitet.net/kad/stort.asp?selbinr=384360

or for a more substantial brooch......??

 

Ahh I love a lover's eye! I had the same thought to make one, although I would paint my own. I just haven't seen a frame I like yet. This one is very pretty and suitable.

I don't know a whole lot about marks, but they seem in the French style to me. I can't tell for sure what the second mark in the first photo is, but first looks like an "S" maker's mark. Second photo looks to have the neck of a head stamp and an A (date or maker?). Other's will know better than I. I would just have a click around 925-1000 since they have some gold marks and general hallmark info for different countries.

Agreed with Bronwen that your brooch originally was meant to have a watch hung off that hook. Also that it looks later 19th c. If it's 18K then I would assume the little stone is Persian turquoise.

Good luck with your project!

 

Thanks @Bronwen

I could totally see it being late 19th, I just haven’t been able to see many similar examples to compare it against. I’d hate to alter this more than necessary and will leave the brooch findings on it and just suffer lol.

I also suspected that the marks might be French and bought a book of 19th century French hallmarks with marks that look similar but I’ve been unable to nail them down.

 

Thanks for the info!
If this box was not original, then it was custom made to fit this brooch because the fit is soooo precise. I should have taken a photo with the brooch out of the box but I unfortunately cannot take one right now.
It fits so cleanly with the borders matching perfectly and almost snaps into place. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things about this piece.

 

I don't see that...
but the fact that u luv it.......... Nuff Said !!!

 

Thanks @mirana
Oooh a whole artist, I’m impressed! Any rendering of my partners eye I could do would be woefully lacking so I’ll leave it to a pro and maybe take a photo of the finished project. I found a buttery 18k late 19th c chain to put it on and am very excited .

I do believe the center some appears to be Persian turquoise!

 

Wonderful brooch. I agree with what was said by miranda and bronwen.
A few years ago I had the same idea about making a lovers eye. (My husband paints very detailed and my 16 year old daughter might even paint better than him and with much 'eye' for detail.
I even had the MOP background to be painted on ready.
But a good friend advised me not to. There are already so many 'fakes' read -not era adequate- lovers eyes pieces around...
I did have to think about it for a while and ultimately decided not to.
I wouldn't want my personal jewel to enter the market in a few decades, claiming to be something it is not.
But thats just a personal choice.

 

Hi @Dessert58
I hear what you are saying, and understand the risk of it entering the market someday (not by my hand) as an almost period fake. But I think this being made as an extremely personal piece for a lover of antique jewelry (myself) makes sense and is more than worth it to me than the “risk” of it appearing on the market someday. I also intend to write our names and the date on the back of the painting when complete which will be visible through the back pane. But to each their own, and I hope you have found a way to carry your families art work with you in a way that is authentic to you!

 

Nahhh you should do it! And how absolutely precious to have one or more made by family members!! I was going to suggest, as @a_la_sevigne did...you can just have your artist sign and date the piece on the reverse. It makes it more personal anyway.

Aha art is my professional career, across different industries ....and my lover has such beautiful eyes that's it's really tempting! Obviously ivory is not a modern option, but I would probably do watercolor on a good arches paper. I hope you've found a great artist to commission. We'd love to see the finished result!

 

View attachment 496664

 

It is a gorgeous brooch, congratulations.
I also think it could be French, but would date it earlier than the others. Not only stylewise, with that very delicate engraving, but the mark also looks like an earlier mark, possibly before 1838, if I remember correctly.

I could be wrong, of course. So tagging my dear and brilliant friend @kyratango . (Why wasn't she tagged before?)

 

Gorgeous piece and love your idea.

Could be wrong, but the box sure looks original. Fitting for an 18K piece.

Agree, Kyra should weigh in with her knowledge!

 

Can't make much out of the marks except for the one at right in the first marks image - appears to be the Austro-Hungarian Fuchskopf`` (fox head) mark, 4th standard (14 karat), assayed in Vienna, in use from 1872 to 1922...

~Cheryl

 

Thanks for the tag, AJ and Lucille
Not French marks for my eyes, I think Cheryl is spot on

 

Just wondering why a "flat" brooch would be in a box with such a high raised top?