Fine French Victorian 18ct Gold, Painted Miniature Pendant Locket 1860

A fabulous antique piece of jewellery – an exquisite French high carat gold locket pendant with a porcelain miniature insert featuring the finest hand painting. The locket dates from 1860-80 and is crafted in 18 ct gold (750 fineness) throughout and has a hallmark on the inside, an eagle's head, which has been in use since 1838. This locket is a rare and fine quality example. Such meticulous, painstaking work required a lot of time and skill, so clearly a work of a fine goldsmith. The openwork decoration on the front around the porcelain insert looks very beautiful, reminiscent of golden lace. The bail for the chain or ribbon is designed to match. Inside, there are two compartments separated by glass. What is particularly pleasing is that everything is original and in perfect working order; everything moves well, opens and closes as it should, and the clasp holds the locket tightly closed. Exciting piece of jewellery, top quality, can make a wonderful present or grace an antique jewellery enthusiast’s collection. Dimensions: length with the bail – 48 mm, width – 27 mm. Total weight of the locket – 13.6 g. Please note that this is not the pure weight of the gold, but includes the glass insert inside and the porcelain on the front of the locket. I provide the weight mainly as a guide for selecting a chain (preferably, it should weigh about a gram more). Condition: excellent condition, without any damage, repairs, replacements. All original and wonderfully preserved. N.B. Chain on a photo is for photo only, the listing is for locket only.