FREE: Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Pendant

The listing, Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Pendant has ended.

So how to tell if something is actually antique or a reproduction? Well with Jewelry that can sometimes be a challenge. Sterling Silver is actually one of the easier types of jewelry to date. Take this beautiful piece for example. Marcasite first came into use in the mid 1800’s as a less expensive alternative to diamonds, so dating gemstone use, types of cuts is one of the first steps, the next is how these gems were set. In today’s jewelry most Marcasite is glued or bonded into place, in antique pieces it is prong set. Craftsmanship is also a big tip, if the piece is really uniform, then most likely it was pressed out by a machine. Hallmarks also give us clues by dating the makers mark or purity mark.
So how did I date this piece, well, first it is marked Sterling, most pieces marked Sterling pre date 1940. Next is the milgrain and fine detailing, when looped you can see it is hand done as it is not uniform, next are how the stones are set, these are prong set. The design itself tells me that it is Victorian style, put this altogether and it is pretty easy.
I date this piece to circa 1890 to 1900.
Added an 18 inch sterling silver chain