Description
Date: c. 1850-60s, Victorian era / French Second Empire
Materials: enamels, natural pearls, rose cut diamonds, solid 14k gold (tested in multiple areas with nitric & muriatic acid)
Weight: 22.9 grams
Marks:
– [Halberd/hatchet with letter B] old French gold guarantee mark; very similar but not to
be confused with another hatchet hallmark used for gold imported into the
The Netherlands between 1853-1927
– [Head of rooster?] unclear; possibly a regional or jeweler’s mark
Workmanship origin: France
Sourced from: Turin, Italy (near the French-Italian-Swiss border)
Diameter of brooch: 44.7 mm
Diameter of enameled miniature: 29 mm
Depth of brooch: 15 mm
Diameter of diamonds: 2.9 – 3 mm (six total; approx. 0.3 – 0.4 ctw; clarity I; cannot be graded for color due to silver foiling).
Diameter of pearls: 2.75 mm
Condition: Overall in great antique condition, ready to wear. Brooch pin, catch, locket compartment, and security pin mechanism are all in full working order without flaws. There is a small 4 mm area of restoration to the black enamel. Under 60x loupe magnification, I can spot some tiny nibbles/chips to the edge of two diamonds. All of the natural pearls are original, though just one shows some chips to the edge of its drilled hole. There’s two or three light surface scratches to the enameled miniature (not deep and not noticeable, visible only when carefully examined at a slant against the light. Finally, there’s expected age-related surface wear to the gold.