A 9ct gold pendant in the Maltese cross form — a shape with deep associations with chivalry, faith and honour, popular throughout the Victorian period and particularly fashionable in the 1880s and 1890s. The centre is set with a sardonyx panel which opens as a locket, combining the decorative and the sentimental in a single object.
Sardonyx — banded chalcedony in warm lilac and brown — was a stone prized throughout the Victorian period for its depth of colour and its associations with strength and protection. The banding of the stone adds natural visual interest to the centre of the cross.
The reverse carries chasing — decorative detail applied with care, the back finished as well as the front.
Era: Late Victorian
Hallmarks:
Unmarked, tests as 9ct Gold Back & Front. This means 9ct gold for the outside panels however the internal structure will be a base metal to help keep its strength and integrity.
