Antique French Gold Scallop Shell Locket
I love everything about shells. Perhaps it’s because we collected them as children, or because of a deep and abiding love of the sea. Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe’s best-selling book during his lifetime was not one of his horror stories, but a scientific guide to seashells? It was called The Conchologist’s First Book, published in 1839.
This French circa 1900 locket is, I believe, a scallop shell, owing to the ribboned edge. Victorian gold seashells are rare and collectible and this is the finest one I have had. It is heavy, double sided, and finely detailed, with hand chasing along the edges. The interior is fitted with two glass compartments to hold photos or a memento. Substantial and original bail.
The scallop is associated with the pilgrim’s journey and is a symbol of St. James. It is also a symbol of rebirth.
Details:
18k gold, marked 18k, with two eagle head French marks on the edge of the bezel inside the locket
weighs 15.1 grams
28.5 mm or 1.1 inch tall (without bail)
25 mm or 1 inch wide
a little over a 1/2 inch thick
I love everything about shells. Perhaps it’s because we collected them as children, or because of a deep and abiding love of the sea. Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe’s best-selling book during his lifetime was not one of his horror stories, but a scientific guide to seashells? It was called The Conchologist’s First Book, published in 1839.
This French circa 1900 locket is, I believe, a scallop shell, owing to the ribboned edge. Victorian gold seashells are rare and collectible and this is the finest one I have had. It is heavy, double sided, and finely detailed, with hand chasing along the edges. The interior is fitted with two glass compartments to hold photos or a memento. Substantial and original bail.
The scallop is associated with the pilgrim’s journey and is a symbol of St. James. It is also a symbol of rebirth.
Details:
18k gold, marked 18k, with two eagle head French marks on the edge of the bezel inside the locket
weighs 15.1 grams
28.5 mm or 1.1 inch tall (without bail)
25 mm or 1 inch wide
a little over a 1/2 inch thick
I love everything about shells. Perhaps it’s because we collected them as children, or because of a deep and abiding love of the sea. Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe’s best-selling book during his lifetime was not one of his horror stories, but a scientific guide to seashells? It was called The Conchologist’s First Book, published in 1839.
This French circa 1900 locket is, I believe, a scallop shell, owing to the ribboned edge. Victorian gold seashells are rare and collectible and this is the finest one I have had. It is heavy, double sided, and finely detailed, with hand chasing along the edges. The interior is fitted with two glass compartments to hold photos or a memento. Substantial and original bail.
The scallop is associated with the pilgrim’s journey and is a symbol of St. James. It is also a symbol of rebirth.
Details:
18k gold, marked 18k, with two eagle head French marks on the edge of the bezel inside the locket
weighs 15.1 grams
28.5 mm or 1.1 inch tall (without bail)
25 mm or 1 inch wide
a little over a 1/2 inch thick