Description

A very attractive Russian opening locket in the Art Nouveau taste, the front applied with a floral motif set with demantoid garnets. These garnets are a rare form of green garnet – there are several others – of which the only source at the time was Russia, and it is a stone whose distinctive acidic green colour was very popular in early 20th century jewellery, both in Russia and elsewhere. The locket opens on a beautifully crafted hinge whose joints are hardly visible, and can hold two photographs or miniatures. One inner frame has a small repair. The locket bears Russian 14ct. control marks for St Petersburg 1896-1908, assay master A.Richter, with an unidentified maker’s mark NC. Excluding the suspension loops, the locket is 1 3/8 inches:35 mm high.