A locket that combines two highly specific late 19th century fads. The first is “Mizpah,” a word from the old testament that describes a bond and Victorian shorthand for “I love and miss you.” The second, ferns! Long ago, in the days before social media and streaming television and electric lighting, the upper echelons of British society were gripped by what is scientifically named pteridomania but in common parlance is known as “Fern Madness.” From the mid Victorian period until about the 1890s, fern hunting was a wildly popular hobby. Both amateur and professional botanists would hunt for fern specimens and catalog them as a pleasure pursuit. This enthusiasm for the fronded plant translated to the decorative arts and a great deal of pottery, textiles, wallpaper, and yes, also jewelry. The ferns on the back side of this locket are engraved with the name “Bella.”
thedetails
- Materials
14k gold (tests), glass lenses, new 14k gold chain
- Age
c. 1880
- Condition
Very good - minor surface wear commensurate with age and use
- Size
1 5/8" length including the bale, 1" width, 18" chain
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Aboutthe
VictorianEra
1837 — 1901
The Victorians were avid consumers and novelty-seekers, especially when it came to fashion, and numerous fads came and went throughout the 19th century. In jewelry, whatever fashion choices Queen V. made reverberated throughout the kingdom. The Romantic period reflected the queen’s legendary love for her husband, Albert.
Jewelry from this period featured joyful designs like flowers, hearts, and birds, all which often had symbolic meaning. The queen’s betrothal ring was made in the shape of a snake, which stood for love, fidelity, and eternity. The exuberant tone shifted after Prince Albert passed away in 1861, marking the beginning of the Grand Period. Black jewelry became de rigeur as the Queen and her subjects entered “mourning,” which at the time represented not just an emotional state, as we conceive of it today, but a specific manner of conduct and dress. She wore the color black for the remainder of her life, and we see lots of black onyx, enamel, jet, and gutta percha in the jewelry from this time. Finally, during the late Victorian period, which transitioned along with a rapidly changing world into the “Aesthetic Movement”, there was a return to organic and whimsical motifs: serpents, crescent moons, animals, and Japonaisserie designed for the more liberated “Gibson Girl”. During the second half of the 19th century, America entered the global jewelry market, with Tiffany and Co. leading the way. Lapidaries continued to perfect their techniques, and the old European cut emerged toward the end of the Victorian period. The discovery of rich diamond mines in South Africa made the colorless stones more accessible than ever before.
please note:Terms of Sale
Antiques can be returned unworn and in original condition within 10 days of delivery for an exchange or refund minus the cost of shipping. Once a piece has been altered, including ring re-sizing, it is FINAL SALE.
