Sincerely Beloved : Victorian Open Photo Locket in 9ct Gold

♥SOLD♥

Dating from the early days of photography, circa 1880, this Victorian photo locket has travelled to us from a time when photographs were very rare and precious objects – many people only had a single photograph taken of them in their entire lives! Often photos were taken to commemorate a special event – and then as now a couples wedding was a preferred photo opportunity ♥️

The locket is made from 9ct gold – the majority is yellow gold but details have been picked out in rose gold and silver – such as the tiny ivy leaves (for constancy) and the forgery-me-nots (for remembrance) The little pearls were extremely fashionable embellishments symbolic of purity. These symbols together are often found on jewellery that commemorated a wedding 💒
My best educated guess is that this locket was most likely given to a bride from her groom on their honeymoon or first anniversary, complete with his & hers photos. Aaawwwwww 💖

When I found this pretty locket it contained fakebelieve sentimental contents – a print of a pretty girl & a lock of acrylic dolls hair in the back. I can make you up a new pretty little lie using my collection of antique photos, or you could fill it up with actual loved ones! Or some other keepsake such as a lock of hair, a pressed flower, a feather, any small and relatively flat treasure.

I’ve had a watchmaker professionally cut two new pieces of “mineral glass” (which is thin and scratch resistant) for this sweet Victorian double sided photo locket & now she’s ready for her next adventure!💕

An optional vintage 9ct yellow gold belcher link chain (stamped 375 Italy) that I think matches the locket very well can be included with your purchase, or I also have a small selection of antique chains if you would prefer – please send me a message and I would be delighted to show you the chains I have available.

You can see a video of this locket on my Instagram @secret_histories, or online here.

This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.

Description

Victorian, circa 1880 – 1900, covered in coded sentimental symbols of ivy and forget-me-not flowers picked out in silver and rose gold on the yellow gold frame.

The locket glass has been replaced with brand new “mineral glass” and is in brand new condition with no chips or scratches.

The locket features a decorative lace-like border studded with shell-based seed pearls. Shell-based pearls are commonly found in antique jewellery before the cultured pearl process was invented in the 1920’s. Natural pearls were not always available to jewellers in the early Australian colonies and this was one of their clever work-arounds.  They are made of ground mother of pearl, and have the advantage of not discolouring over time. The locket is in excellent condition – any dark spots are tarnish from age, not solder or glue.

At the reverse a simple frame friction-fits inside the locket which allows photographs or other keepsakes to be replaced. This frame can be very frustrating to pop back in again unless you have nimble fingers and a light touch – I’d be happy to organise for your keepsakes to be placed inside.

Hallmarked 9ct with makers mark G&W to the side of the locket. Most likely Australian in origin.

Additional information

Era

Victorian

Materials

9ct yellow gold, with rose gold and silver details.
The glass is new mineral glass.

Dimensions

42.6mm not including the bale x 33.3mm, 6mm deep
Locket area: oval 30mm x 23mm

Chain

with vintage 46cm 9ct belcher link chain, without chain