Description
Date: c. 1800-1820s, reigns of Maria I – John VI of Portugal
Materials: natural pearls (appears to be saltwater), hair, solid 14k rose gold frame + setting + bail + openwork inner plaque (unmarked; tested with electric & nitric-muriatic acid), some nickel (for unseen inner frame tongue and groove)
Weight: 56.4 grams (pendant), 26.7 grams (box); 83.7 grams net weight
Workmanship origin: Portugal
Inscription: [Desunir não pode a sorte] old Portuguese, “Fate cannot break [our] union” / “The vagaries of fortune cannot separate [us].” (Desunir = disunion, usually in the context of marriage unions; não pode = cannot; sorte = fate, fortune, vicissitudes of circumstance)
Height of pendant: 85 mm (including bail), 63 mm (excluding bail)
Width of pendant: 50.8 mm
Depth of pendant: (at maximal point)
Condition: Some subtle age-related patina to the gold. Dust and minor soiling to the pleated hair; a few strands loose at the very edges. The pendant came to me with its gold central openwork plaque loose and off-center; my trusted jeweler opened the front compartment, cleaned the glass inner-side, removed some of the dust trapped in the hair with a fine sable-hair brush, and re-affixed the gold plaque to the pendant center. The pierced plaque is solid gold and quite heavy: to support its weight and prevent it from falling off-center in the future, my jeweler added two tiny drops of museum-grade hxtal nyl-1 epoxy (colorized brown to match the hair) at the bottom of the plaque. The reverse side hair panel was left alone and never opened. This piece appears to be a “deed box jewelry” passed generation to generation stored in its original fitted box and rarely taken out to be worn. As a result, it is close to its original condition and well-preserved. All pearls are tightly set within Georgian cut-down collet settings; none appear to have been replaced. No eye-visible scratches or surface wear to the gold or glass. However, due to significant age, the leather and silk box is rather worn (please view video for macro details), with frayed corners, two tiny puncture to the back, and age-stained silk interiors.