Miniature Portrait of Young Girl |
Now that's a cute kid! |
A wonderful hand painted miniature portrait of a young child, set within a lovely yellow gold circular frame
surrounded by small beads of gold and trefoil clusters of pearls. The entire case and frame is 18kt yellow
gold with a very nice finish. Age circa 1890.
Cost: Although this beautiful brooch has sold, you will find many more fine brooches in the Antique Brooch Gallery. |
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A side view close up reveals the traditional "C" shaped clasp as well as a collapsible loop
bail in the closed position. You can wear this lovely portrait as either a pin
or as a pendant.
Also notice the consistently smooth, small gold beads along the entire circumference of the brooch. The repeating gold bead motif was used throughout the Victorian period, and is really a trademark design of the era that was carried over into the next century. Our side view also exhibits the nice thick walls of the case providing support and durability. Many early miniature portraits were encased in light weight frames that were easily dented. Our brooch is nice and heavy and has withstood the tolls of time. It is in excellent condition and does not have any dents or damages. Furthermore, because the gold is 18kt, the color and patina of the metal has maintained it's original warm yellow hue. Again, other early portraits were often set in light weight frames.....of lower karat gold....that discolored and tarnished with time. |
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All of these elements, the beautiful portrait of the young girl, a nice heavy case and frame, a higher karat gold (18kt) and a combination bail and pin stem indicate that this piece was made for a well-to-do family and probably by a fine guild jeweler. Fine jewelry should not be just beautiful and versatile, it must also be well made. When evaluating the quality of jewelry, you should consider:
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From the back, you can see a nice heavy back plate, offering support and durability. You should always examine jewelry from all angles, and especially the back. Fine quality jewelry is finished as nicely on the back as it is on the top, as you can see here. Also notice that the pin stem extends just beyond the perimeter of the brooch, another indication of it's age. The collapsible loop bail is also shown here in the open position to be worn with a nice chain as a pendant. Often women would wear this style of brooch as a pendant, but would also fasten the pin stem to the dress or outer coat for additional security or to prevent the pendant from swaying while walking.
Here are a few more elegant jewels from the past ...
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| Antique Jewelry Gallery Antique Brooch Gallery If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, I can be reached at 978 525-8951 or arthur@jewelryexpert.com.
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