Lots of photos of this old beauty. I found it changed look and color depending on where it was photographed, so you have a lot of viewing from all angles, and against both a dark and a light backing. The piece is superb! The French, late 1700s, were masters at the layering of 18k gold with sterling silver, and at setting diamonds in silver. What you see here is one of the resulting jewelry pieces evolved from that process. Kiln-fired enamel convex plaque is in excellent condition and is straight from the mid-1700s French Romantic Era and genre - 2 young women playing with a mallard duck, outdoor scene. The locket hangs from a crown, as you can see. We're left to wonder what might have once been in the locket's nice deep recess. Purchased in France, anonymous estate disbursal. Measurements noted on the photos.
Very good to excellent for age and type. There is a hairline crack in the old original cover glass in back, as you can see, but that exists as its only flaw. And against the fact of age and those 51 diamonds and 6 probable but untested rubies, the single flaw fades. Isn't it just superb! I can see the tiniest mark on the silver back bale, but cannot read it even with a loupe and couldn't begin to capture it in an image. I feel very comfortable dating it c.1750-1820, however. Earlier more likely than later. The diamonds range from white and clear to champagne in coloration, and nicely matched in size. Not missing a single one. The gold chain is not included.
