An exceptional antique English sterling silver locket necklace hallmarked for Payton, Pepper & Co., Chester, 1882 that has beautiful large sepia photos of a young Victorian couple inside the locket.
Superb quality in heavy gauge silver the locket is fashioned in an exuberant Baroque design with ornate chasing and engraving along with applied silver wire work embellishments. Huge and imposing the locket is fabulously plump with a puffy pillowed profile adding to its luxurious appearance. It still has its large original bail which fits into a banded slot on the locket's yoke. It opens from the side to reveal the 2 photos in frames behind clear covers and it closes tightly with a hard snap.
The locket suspends from a thick antique silver 17" (43cm) Belcher necklace chain that has round fancy embellished links and a large detachable bolt ring clasp.
This extraordinarily beautiful Victorian silver jewel is bound to bring endless joy to its new owner and its ready to wear right out of the box. It's a rare treat to have the Chester hallmarks too, the assay office closed in 1962 so jewellery bearing these historic hallmarks is sought after and very desirable.
MATERIALS: sterling silver
MEASUREMENTS: locket 2-7/8" (7.3cm) tall top to bottom, 1-3/4" (4.5cm) wide, 14.6mm deep, chain 17" (43cm) long and 5mm thick
HALLMARKS: locket stamped 'P.P. & Co.' for Payton Paxton and Company, 'lion passant' for sterling, '3 wheatsheaves & Sword' for Chester, sideways date letter 't' for 1882. The chain isn't marked and we have acid tested to verify it's sterling silver.
Date: early 1880's, Victorian
WEIGHT: 39.5 grams
CONDITION: in beautiful antique condition with light surface wear and no dents or dings. There is no damage to the hinge and the locket closes firmly. The photos are protected behind clear acetate covers and we haven't removed them preferring to leave the locket in its undisturbed state