Description
Date: 1850s, Napoleon III / Victorian era
Materials: pearls, solid 18k yellow & rose gold (unmarked; tested in two separate locations with electronic gold tester & nitric-muriatic acid)
Weight: 3.2 grams
Sourced from: Paris, France
Workmanship origin: French
Diameter of circular pendant: 27.2 mm
Height of pendant (including bail): 36 mm
Dimension of bird: 5 x 16 mm (approx.)
Dimension of nest: 11 x 10 mm
Diameter of pearls: 3 – 3.5 mm
Condition: under 40x loupe magnification, I can spot two tiny gaps where the bird’s beak connects to its head; I believe it is a minor flaw from the original production; this issue does not affect the structural integrity of the bird and is hard to spot with the naked eye. Due to 18k being a softer high-carat gold, the back of the pendant does show some minor surface dents; one of these dents show up as a slight protrusion/hump at the front (again, difficult to notice unless examining with care). One tiny 0.7 mm spot at the pendant edge shows a slight depression. Overall, this pendant is well-preserved with its intricate details intact. There is general age-related surface wear to the gold. Pendant bail and jump ring is in good order.