Artfully Assembled Locket Pendant Made from Antique Elements, Circa

Every piece of antique jewellery has its own story. It was chosen and worn, given as a gift, and cherished, and over the decades it has acquired its very own marks, scratches, and repairs. In the case of this locket, an almost unbelievable coincidence has allowed its story to continue to this day. At first glance, it appears to be a typical late 19th-century locket. The oval pendant is adorned with delicate engraved ornaments and can be slid apart. Inside is a glass-covered compartment that was once used to hold a lock of hair or small photographs. Such lockets were among the most personal pieces of jewellery of their time. They allowed the wearer to keep the memory of a loved one close to their body. Only upon closer inspection does the uniqueness of our piece become apparent. Its two halves did not originally belong together. One is made of 9-karat, slightly reddish gold; the other of 14-karat yellow gold. Even the engraved designs do not match perfectly, although they are surprisingly similar in composition and character. The union becomes fully apparent on the reverse side. There, the right half bears the end of an older engraving, whose letters “CEN” are not entirely legible without the beginning of the engraving on the other half. It must have seemed like a stroke of luck to the person who once repaired the damaged locket: A replacement was found for the lost or damaged half—one that fit so precisely in shape and size that both parts could be joined together. Two pieces of jewellery, created independently of one another, have thus come together and have since formed a new whole. It is precisely this repair that gives the locket its special charm. It is not merely damage to its original form, but rather a part of its history, demonstrating that the piece of jewellery was valuable enough to its former owner to be preserved and worn. We have paired the pendant with a matching gold chain.

Estimate:$887.13

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