New Victorian gold pendant

[kcoursolle]

Oooooh, that is stunning! I really love it!

 

[jewelerman]

looking foward to seeing the brooch!

 

[glitterata]

Hey, take a look at this very similar brooch and earring set!

It''s over $1000, even with today''s decent exchange rate, which is WAY more than I''m willing to pay, and it doesn''t have the fringe. Otherwise, it''s Michelle''s wish for me come true.

I guess the elements of my pendant were quite common and got put together in many different ways. This gives me even more hope that I''ll eventually come across a matching earring.

 

[merlinthecat]

I don''t think it was an earring....it''s too big.

Just goes to show, there are some really nice pieces to be found on ebay!

merl.

 

[glitterata]

Earrings were big in that period. I have several pairs that big from around then. And pendants were rare then, too--at the neckline, ladies mostly wore brooches during the day, when their clothes were high cut, or fancier necklaces in the evening, when they exposed their throats.

It's possible this was made as a pendant to hang from a brooch, though.

Edited to add: The earrings in the set I posted above are the same size as my pendant.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/17/2009 2:14:39 PM
Author: glitterata
Earrings were big in that period. I have several pairs that big from around then. And pendants were rare then, too--at the neckline, ladies mostly wore brooches during the day, when their clothes were high cut, or fancier necklaces in the evening, when they exposed their throats.

It''s possible this was made as a pendant to hang from a brooch, though.

Edited to add: The earrings in the set I posted above are the same size as my pendant.

You are so right about the size of earrings....and all jewelry in this period was on a larger scale...people that could afford jewelry wore their wealth and showed it off...it wasnt until the late victorian period that jewelry became popular on a smaller scale.Lighter weight fabrics and changes in fashion and culture(young unmarried women could recieve and wear jewelry from other then family or husband)plus jewelry manufactered for the masses that were more affordable ment that jewelry had to be smaller so it could be more affordable.This would usher in the new way of thinking about jewelry and balance of design in the new 20th century....by the early edwardian period jewelry, even mens jewelry was worn smaller and womens jewelry became airy in feeling,even more romantic and intimate(lockets,small light weight chains, pinkie rings with double hearts, small engraved stack bangles) were worn by most women of the period.

 

[glitterata]

The matching brooch arrived from England. It''s fabulous! In lovely condition, just a little tarnished, and a completely perfect match!! It even has a hook at the bottom for hanging my pendant.

I''ll take some pictures in daylight tomorrow.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/26/2009 10:13:33 PM
Author: glitterata
The matching brooch arrived from England. It''s fabulous! In lovely condition, just a little tarnished, and a completely perfect match!! It even has a hook at the bottom for hanging my pendant.

I''ll take some pictures in daylight tomorrow.

What!We have to wait until tomarrow!Better be first thing!

 

[Catmom]

Date: 1/26/2009 10:13:33 PM
Author: glitterata
The matching brooch arrived from England. It''s fabulous! In lovely condition, just a little tarnished, and a completely perfect match!! It even has a hook at the bottom for hanging my pendant.

I''ll take some pictures in daylight tomorrow.

Oh I can''t wait for pics!

 

[glitterata]

All right, here we go. What do you think? Is this a perfect match, or is this a perfect match?

 

[glitterata]

With a penny, for scale:

 

[glitterata]

Look how dimensional it is!

 

[glitterata]

Back view. It has a glass compartment for a photo or hair memento, though it now holds blue silk. I had a devil of a time getting it seated properly so that the pin could close--when it arrived, it was squishing the bail at the bottom where the pendant can hang. It''s still not seated that well, but at least it isn''t squishing anything and the pin closes pretty well now.

 

[glitterata]

Back view without the glazed memento compartment, so you can see the construction.

See how much brighter the gold is inside? I can''t decide whether that''s the original, untarnished surface, or whether the piece, which the seller says is 15K gold, was originally washed with an even higher karat gold that has worn off somewhat on the front. Also notice how the pendant is a slightly brighter yellow. I think this is just because the brooch is more tarnished. I cleaned it with soapy water and a toothbrush and then with a jewelry cloth, but it still could use more cleaning.

 

[glitterata]

Straight shot.

 

[glitterata]

Bored yet?

 

[glitterata]

Okay, okay, I''m stopping now.

 

[glitterata]

The pendant has a jump ring that makes it hang straight from a chain, but it also makes it hang sideways from the brooch (that is, twisted a half turn). So I need to decide whether to remove the ring--which will make the pendant tough to wear as a necklace, the way I expect I'll want to wear it much more often--or to leave the ring, which makes the pendant somewhat awkward to wear on the brooch.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/27/2009 11:13:31 AM
Author: glitterata
Back view without the glazed memento compartment, so you can see the construction.

See how much brighter the gold is inside? I can''t decide whether that''s the original, untarnished surface, or whether the piece, which the seller says is 15K gold, was originally washed with an even higher karat gold that has worn off somewhat on the front. Also notice how the pendant is a slightly brighter yellow. I think this is just because the brooch is more tarnished. I cleaned it with soapy water and a toothbrush and then with a jewelry cloth, but it still could use more cleaning.

Worth the wait!Its a perfect match! you really do have a knack for finding these pieces!I would bet that the tarnish is staining from perfume and makeups of the period or possible being stored in a bank box with coins.PLEASE take care when cleaning your antique jewelry(im sure your very careful with cleaning and storing your pieces)...best not to use a tooth brush on a pearl or enamelled piece...and a jewelry cloth is not good on pearls because of the cleaning compound used.I hope you wear the piece often...it is a real conversation starter.

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Jewelerman. Don''t worry, I keep the cleaning tools away from the pearl & enamel.

Any advice about the jump ring?

 

[Catmom]

Oh it IS a perfect match. How wonderful! I''m wondering, is there anything available sort of like a round spring clasp that you could use to put on the pendant when you want to attach it to the brooch? Minus the ring that attaches it to a chain. That way you could just clip it on and off depending upon how you want to use the pendant.

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Michelle! A removable jump ring is a great idea.