Victorian Enamel Scarab Locket circa.1858
£2,150.00
An unusual mid-Victorian enamel 'Scarab' locket pendant.
This beautifully made oval locket has a stylised 3 dimensional scarab beetle design to the top which has been finely enamelled in green, red and back enamel. The scarab sits within a rope-twist border with a further plain outer border and a rope-twist edge.
The pendant has an oval glazed locket to the reverse with a green silk liner. The back of the pendant is engraved "Por Friall August 12th 1858 ".
The pendant has a gold runner ring to the top for a chain or ribbon (possibly a later Victorian replacement) it is in fabulous condition, with no damage to the enamel.
Victorian scarab jewellery symbolised immortality, rebirth, and the eternal cycle of life, blending ancient Egyptian mythology with a 19th-century fascination for natural history. The late 1850's captured the exact dawn of the archaeological revival movement. While the massive "Egyptian Revival" wave peaked a bit later in the 1860s and 1870s (fuelled by excavations and the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal), 1858 was a pivotal transition year.
Era: Victorian, 1839 - 1901
Measurements: Pendant 2.1 cm (3/4") in length (excluding bail), 1.6 cm (5/8") at widest point.
With runner ring: 2.9 cm ( 1 1/8") in length.
Pendant weighs 5 grams
Hallmarks: No assay marks - pendant tests as 18 carat gold; runner ring tests as 15 carat gold
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