Victorian Locket Gold Brooch with Diamonds, c. 1890

The citizens of Victorian England cultivated a distinct culture of remembrance, which was also reflected in their jewellery. People exchanged locks of hair, for example, which they carried with them in the form of pieces of jewellery, and ascribed friendly and romantic meanings to certain gemstones and decorative motifs. Around 1870, the locket in particular became the wealthy British woman's favorite piece of jewellery, as it could be used to safely store locks of hair and letters and, towards the end of the century, the new type of photographs. Today, the locket is almost only known as a pendant, but back then it also appeared in the form of brooches and even on bracelets. This round brooch also has a glazed compartment on the back. The compartment is empty today, but it probably originally concealed a memento of a happy occasion. In the eyes of contemporaries, the brooch would not have been suitable for a sad occasion due to its rich golden hue and rich diamond decoration. A star of old-cut diamonds forms the center of the horizontal design. To the right and left of the oval center field are decorative elements flared out to the side, which follow the style of the so-called Archaeological Revival with their decoration of gold cords and spheres. An additional matt fine gilding - the so-called "bloomed gold" - gives the brooch a velvety radiance. The brooch was created at the end of the 19th century, as suggested by the diamond cuts and the shape of the design as a collar brooch. After more than 100 years, it is still in very good condition and ready to become a memento again.

Estimate:£1,605.42

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