Absolutely beautiful Victorian Cameo Locket Pendant

THE STORY - It was the sheer beauty of the face of this small Victorian Cameo Locket Pendant that stopped me in my tracks, so finely carved with a wonderful softness and depth to it and those flowers in her hair. The face I think is that of The Roman Goddess Flora, Goddess of Flowers and Spring, with a particular association with May Flowers, which indeed may be the flowers in her hair. The cameo is carved from Shell and sits in a oval mount of yellow metal which carries no marks and which I think is most likely to be Pinchbeck as I think it is too light to be gold. On the back of the locket is an oval door of highly convex glass which feels quite thick which when I put my thumb under it it appears to magnify. And how I love that mount which I would say is very much in the Etruscan Style which was so popular with Victorians and was known as Etruscan Revival which became fashionable after Etuscan Tombs were discovered in Italy in the nineteenth century. I absolutely adore the simple busyness of it with its three elevated layers of pattern around the cameo and the little round balls around the edge and there is even wonderful detail to the loop it would hang from the chain. I do want to mention that although I absolutely loved the tiny and fine details of both the cameo and the mount, my camera on my dear old iPhone did struggle trying to get as much in focus as possible, and indeed I had to take a photo of the cameo from two different sides so in most of the photos the focus is on her face but in the third photo the focus is on her hair and those beautiful flowers. This Cameo Pendant Locket could of been a Souvenir Piece brought back from a Tour of Italy, but although I am almost certain the cameo is Italian I am unsure about the mount, there is something that makes me feel it has been made later for the cameo back in Britain possibly made as a mourning piece as that little glass door is certainly a beautiful window to view any content of sentiment it may have contained within.

AGE - Circa 1880

CONDITION - Both the cameo and the mount are in very good condition with no cracks or discolouration to the cameo that I can see. The little glass door of the locket still opens and closes securely, with the hinge still strong and again I can see no scratches to the glass.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height (including loop) 2", Height (excluding loop) 1&1/2", Width 1&1/4", Depth 1/4"

I know this Locket Pendant may not be made of the most precious metal, but for me that does not detract from its beauty one little bit. The beauty for me is in that face and in that simple but intricate and oh so pleasing design of the mount and indeed in that little glass door on the back and imagining what once it may have been contained within. Beauty of so many different levels. Perfect.