1889 Sterling Silver and Gold Overlay Beehive and Bees Aesthetic Locket
Here I have an unusual sterling silver locket from 1889. It has a beautiful scene on the front of a beehive in a field, with little bees flying out. The hive, bees, tree and flowers are overlaid in rose gold and the grassy leaves are yellow gold. There are hand engraved details throughout the scene and it’s just an absolute beauty! It has a scalloped edge, another unusual feature, and a large bale at the top. Inside, there’s room for 2 photos although only the righthand side still has it’s original little frame to hold the picture in place; however, if you cut the left photo to the correct size it should stay put. On the back, there’s a full UK hallmark, with the date letter for 1889, from the Birmingham Assay Office. I’ve not encountered an antique locket depicting a beehive before, so it’s definitely unusual, although the Victorians were very keen on depicting the bees themselves in jewellery as they represented loyalty, hard work and industriousness.
The main body of the locket measures 4.5cm long, 3.4cm wide and 0.65cm deep. With the bale ring, the total height is 5.9cm. Weighs 19 grams.
Condition: Very good uncleaned antique condition. The hinge and closure work well, it clicks shut firmly and seems to stay closed. There are some tiny surface marks to the back, commensurate with its age but overall it’s in lovely condition.
Here I have an unusual sterling silver locket from 1889. It has a beautiful scene on the front of a beehive in a field, with little bees flying out. The hive, bees, tree and flowers are overlaid in rose gold and the grassy leaves are yellow gold. There are hand engraved details throughout the scene and it’s just an absolute beauty! It has a scalloped edge, another unusual feature, and a large bale at the top. Inside, there’s room for 2 photos although only the righthand side still has it’s original little frame to hold the picture in place; however, if you cut the left photo to the correct size it should stay put. On the back, there’s a full UK hallmark, with the date letter for 1889, from the Birmingham Assay Office. I’ve not encountered an antique locket depicting a beehive before, so it’s definitely unusual, although the Victorians were very keen on depicting the bees themselves in jewellery as they represented loyalty, hard work and industriousness.
The main body of the locket measures 4.5cm long, 3.4cm wide and 0.65cm deep. With the bale ring, the total height is 5.9cm. Weighs 19 grams.
Condition: Very good uncleaned antique condition. The hinge and closure work well, it clicks shut firmly and seems to stay closed. There are some tiny surface marks to the back, commensurate with its age but overall it’s in lovely condition.
Here I have an unusual sterling silver locket from 1889. It has a beautiful scene on the front of a beehive in a field, with little bees flying out. The hive, bees, tree and flowers are overlaid in rose gold and the grassy leaves are yellow gold. There are hand engraved details throughout the scene and it’s just an absolute beauty! It has a scalloped edge, another unusual feature, and a large bale at the top. Inside, there’s room for 2 photos although only the righthand side still has it’s original little frame to hold the picture in place; however, if you cut the left photo to the correct size it should stay put. On the back, there’s a full UK hallmark, with the date letter for 1889, from the Birmingham Assay Office. I’ve not encountered an antique locket depicting a beehive before, so it’s definitely unusual, although the Victorians were very keen on depicting the bees themselves in jewellery as they represented loyalty, hard work and industriousness.
The main body of the locket measures 4.5cm long, 3.4cm wide and 0.65cm deep. With the bale ring, the total height is 5.9cm. Weighs 19 grams.
Condition: Very good uncleaned antique condition. The hinge and closure work well, it clicks shut firmly and seems to stay closed. There are some tiny surface marks to the back, commensurate with its age but overall it’s in lovely condition.