A beautiful little antique gold gilt and paste diamond target brooch dating to the Georgian Regency/very early Victorian era.
The brooch is Etruscan revival in style and features a beautifully cut paste (glass) stone, that rivals a real diamond, good paste stones are an art form in their own right! The back of the brooch has a locket compartment to hold a photo lock of hair that still has its original paper liner with old printed lettering and glass cover. The compartment is easy to remove with your finger nail and there are hand etched numbers around the rim that would have denoted the size for the workshop. A sturdy pin back with a tube hinge and C- clasp completes this delicate and feminine brooch that would have been perfect for wear on the lightweight floral silk gowns of the romantic Regency era.
MATERIALS: gold plated silver
GEMSTONE: paste (glass) diamond 7.4mm diameter
MEASUREMENTS: brooch 1-3/4" wide, 1-1/4" high (44x32mm), photo compartment 26x19mm
DATE: 1820-1830
CONDITION: Condition is excellent, showing minimal signs of wear or age and just a little tarnish to the locket compartment. There is no wearing away of the gold overlay, we tested both the metal and stone to satisfy ourselves that this wasn't a real diamond and gold brooch, so real does it look!