HEART Antique Chain BRACELET 18k Gold Solid Floral PANSY Forget Me Not Reversible Clasp 6.6g Think of Me French Traditional Enamel

I take regularly scheduled inventory trips to Europe to offer you a selection of carefully curated antiques. These have all been hand picked one at a time and most are one of a kind.

ABOUT:

I have a strong passion for French traditional jewelry and this piece is textbook French design and fabrication. Gorgeous coloring, patina and design to this bracelet with round double cable chain loops leading to the reversible clasp which is decorated with a heart, pansies and forget me nots to convey a message of love. The clasp is accented with enamel in the French traditional technique from the Victorian period. They often made bracelets and necklaces where the clasp serves double duty, as an ornament, pendant or charm, in addition to being the functioning closure to the piece.

All sorts of romantic or friendship love symbolism on this one. Being a French piece, the pansy flowers on the clasp are actually named "pensee" in French, which is also the French word that translates to "Thought". So the floral side of the pendant portrays the message "Think of me." And of course the forget me nots and hearts speak for themselves.

I purchased it in France and it has the French hallmark on the clasp for 18k gold.

Please note the measurements as I have small fingers and it can be difficult to determine scale from pictures. Some of my buyers "draw out" an example to get an idea of scale in person.

Antique Boxes, props, hooks, chains, mice : ) not included. I just used some staging chains to show examples of how to wear.

SIZE & MEASUREMENTS:

Weight is 6.6 grams. It is solid gold in that it is not plated or gold filled but the links are fabricated with vacant space in between where the links were created with gold sheets curved into link form. This is a common fabrication for the period but I wanted to note it because it has a lighter weight hand feel for size since the links have open space in the middle.

5.6mm width to the links and the clasp is 21x12mm. It's about 6.5 inches long but can't be opened end to end with the safety chain.

IMPORTANT CONDITION NOTES:

Some loss to the enamel on both sides with a bit of coloring missing but still Very legible. The clasp was crafted with vacant space in between the two sides and now has some shallow impressions where it gradually caves in. It is not sharp or glaring, but the two sides were squeezed together so you can see the little ripples.

The chain was fabricated with the loops in pairs of two welded together so there are fixed portions between every other link. This is not a repair but how it was made. There is a bit of discoloration to the solder connection points and some buildup but I did not want to submerge it so I just gave it a light wiping.

This early Victorian piece has signs of age but so many interesting design elements and it is still stable, a striking piece to wear. A special example of French traditional jewelry from the antique period.

Please note that all my pieces are pre-owned and in estate condition. They will have patina, surface wear, a few small nicks. These pieces may also have evidence of a sizing, some build up around the stones and / or inclusions seen under magnification, typical for antique pieces. I have mentioned any noticeable issues above and they are all still wearable and eager to be loved and accepted for many years to come, (the preservation of antique jewelry, even those with signs of their age and history, is important to me. : ) There are no dark spots to the gold, it was just difficult to photograph because it is so shiny and mirrored that it reflects its surroundings including the green trees out the window.
But - Please note due to age, this piece is not in mint condition. Pictures also serve as part of the description and condition report so please utilize the zoom feature which will magnify any wear significantly more than what is visible to the eye while wearing : )

Thanks so much for looking at my items!

SOCIAL:
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All items hand picked by me, one at a time from all over the world. All listings individually written by me, and not AI, after studying each piece to discuss its beauties and its ; ) eccentricities (which I am picky to point out).

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