Description
Date: c. 1850s, Victorian era (note: Gaspard Lamunière lived 1810 – 1865; by the 1860s, he’d moved to Nice, France, so his Geneva works are dated to the 1850s at the latest)
Materials: natural rubies (tested), pearls, vitreous enamel, solid 18k yellow gold throughout, including back pin (unmarked; tested with electronic gold tester & nitric-muriatic acid)
Weight: 33.4 grams
Inscriptions:
[G. Lamunière] (to left corner of enamel miniature) for Gaspard Lamunière
[Les Deux Pigeons] (to back) “the two pigeons”, name of composition
[Genève] (to back) for Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 65 mm
Width: 55 mm
Dimension of enamel panel: 47 x 38 mm
Dimension of rubies: one 3 x 3 mm, three 2.75 x 2.75 mm, one 2.5 x 2.75 mm, one 2.5 x 2.5 mm (six total, approx. 0.7 ctw)
Diameter of pearls: 2.7 – 3.2 mm
Condition: The back bail loop is a later addition, but soldered very cleanly. Some very minor and faint surface wear to the enamel surface; overall the enamel panel is well preserved and retains its smooth shine. All elements of the setting are secure, however, when shaken, there is a faint rattling from inside the frame, probably from small bench grit or debris accidentally trapped inside during production. Rubies and pearls appear original. Some minor age-related surface wear and patina to the gold.