Description
Date: c. 1890 – 1900s, Third French Republic / Belle Epoque (i.e. Late Victorian – Edwardian era)
Materials: Persian turquoise, natural earth-mined diamonds, 15k Gold (tested with nitric & muriatic acid), silver (for the diamond setting only)
Marks:
– [owl] guarantee mark for solid gold for jewelry imported into the French market
– [swan] guarantee mark for solid silver for jewelry imported into the French market
Weight: 9.9 grams (pendant alone), 11.8 grams (with chain)
Pendant height: 45.5 mm (including bail), 32 mm (excluding bail)
Pendant width: 32 mm
Pendant depth: 12.6 mm
Diameter of turquoise: 5.5 mm
Diameter of diamonds: six at 2.6 mm, eighteen at about 1.4 mm
Length of chain: 20 inches
Condition: overall excellent antique condition. Under 60x loupe magnification, I can see tiny “fleabite” sized nibbles to the corner of about three diamonds (not noticeable with the naked eye). There are some minor discoloration marks at the side of the pendant where the decorative diamonds join the main pendant wall (caused by alloy metals in the 15k gold reacting to heat from the welding process). The silver setting of the diamonds has oxidized over time to an attractive gunpowder gray.