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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 369328, member: 2844&quot;]The last owner said it had been worn as a first communion cross in her family. Several generations of girls wore this to their first communion. Maybe on sundays as well.</p><p>I don&#039;t know if it started out life as a child&#039;s necklace. I think it was originally longer, it is not symmetrical. It fits me comfortably, but I would prefer it to look more balanced, hence the hunt for a matching piece of gold chain.</p><p><br /></p><p>The workmanship is quite normal for Italian regional jewellery, which was rarely as elegant and refined as jewellery from Florence or Naples.</p><p>Remember, regional jewellery is folk art, just like any other folk art. Sometimes it is rather crude, sometimes more refined, but it is not city jewellery. It is as simple as that.</p><p>Here is a 19th century pin from Sardinia (Sardegna digital library):</p><p><img src="http://www.regione.sardegna.it/media/thumbnails/360/2008111715002300066_360x360.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>And an earring:</p><p><img src="http://www.sardegnadigitallibrary.it/mmt/480/186396.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Italy is one of the few countries in Europe where low finenesses were and are used. To the disgust of jewellers in countries where anything under 14 or even 18k was not considered gold.</p><p>In Croatia, where the last owner lived, 10k wasn&#039;t used. Croatia is just across the Adriatic from Italy, and has had strong ties with Italy since Venetian times. It is said Marco Polo was born on the Croatian island of Korcula.</p><p><br /></p><p>The only European countries that I know of which used, and still use, low finenesses are Britain, Germany and Italy. So the cross was made in one of those three. Since the style is Sicilian, my bet is on Italy.</p><p>10k was used for Italian jewellery before the introduction of state assay marks. In rural areas goldsmiths could have continued to use 10k instead of 8k, especially if they recycled old jewellery.</p><p>These are the official Italian state assay marks, with the maligned 8k on the right:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.antiquers.com/attachments/upload_2018-5-6_17-59-43-jpeg.123487/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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