Antique factory Late Victorian Rose Gold Filled Red Paste Filigree Openwork Pendant

Era: Late Victorian
Diameter: 1 1/8" (excluding bail)
Mark: No mark
Material: Tests for gold filled, glass

Why You'll factory Love It
In this antique Victorian filigree pendant, it's all in the details. Sitting at the focal point is an ruby-colored glass cabochon. Surrounded by intricate designs, the halo motif adds delicacy to a rather bold design element. Its open back setting lets plenty of light through to enhance the stone's color and shimmer.

Condition & Quality
● Bright patina with minimal surface wear to the setting. No dents.
● Fresh sheen, soft surface wear dulls faceting a bit, and no chipping on the glass.
● Secure, original bail.

Collector Note
On Glass Made to Emulate Gemstones. Glass has long been used by jewelers to simulate natural gemstones. For instance, during the Georgian era, black dot paste is a term that refers to a style of glass that was made to simulate the sparkle of natural diamonds. But in the 1940s, the use of glass to simulate gemstones ramped up more than ever before. World War II constrained both fine materials and pocketbooks, so more and more designers (including high-end designers) focused on glass to re-create the distinctive properties of different gems. High-end designers thus began making costume glass jewelry - but with the same attention to detail, high craftsmanship, and design skill that was applied to fine jewelry.

On Victorian. A young Queen Victoria assumed her role in 1837 and her taste in jewelry quickly became culturally influential, within England and beyond. Her relationship to jewelry was enmeshed with her husband, Prince Albert, who gifted the Queen for their engagement, a snake ring, embedded with an emerald (her birthstone) in its head. Continuing from the Georgian era and intensified by Queen Victoria's taste, sentimental and figural jewelry was a major trend throughout the Victorian era. When certain ideas and words were deemed too forward or improper to be spoken, jewelry and symbolic meaning was used to communicate what was left unsaid.