DATE: Victorian, c.1880

A cool antique aesthetic movement locket dating from the 1880s. Unusually, it's crafted in 18k gold (these were normally silver) and it's shaped as a round, concave dish with three swallows in flight. The birds are set with tiny split pearls and ruby cabochon eyes. In spite of its 140 years, it still feels distinctly modern today.

The English Aesthetic Movement was directly inspired by the London International Exhibition of 1862, where a large collection of Japanese art and objects were shown to a wide audience. Artists and Craftspeople would incorporate Japanese themes - usually depicting birds, flowers, plant foliage, and other scenes from nature - into their work, often citing the pursuit of pure beauty or "Art for Art's sake" as their ultimate goal. It was literally all about the aesthetics.

MEASUREMENTS 

2.5 x 2.5cm

WEIGHT 

3.2g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as 18k gold

CONDITION 

Very good, light wear commensurate with age