Victorian, 15ct Gold, Micro Mosaic Locket back Pendant with 9ct Gold Chain

This very sweet floral pendant is crafted in 15ct Gold, and features a beautiful micro mosaic design on its face depicting a basket of flowers. A beautiful border comprising spiky gold balls surrounds the pendant and the reverse reveals a locket back.  

The pendant weighs 4.45g and measures approximately 1.6cm x 2.2cm. It comes with a lovely 9ct gold fancy chain of 16 inches. 

Please have a look at the pictures and video, and don't hesitate to get in touch if you require any further information.

About Micro mosaic's
If any type of jewellery could call itself a true work of art it would be the micro mosaic. Tiny glass tiles (called tesserae) are crafted together and placed carefully into cement to produce incredible ‘micro mosaic’ pictures, which are then set into jewellery. Micro mosaic work date back over 2000 years, and usually originates from Europe – Italy being its most famous producer.  .

The height of popularity for the micro mosaic was in the 17th to 19th Century, during a period of time called the Grand Tour era. Men and women of rich European families would travel around Europe, taking in the sights and cultures of different countries. Italy was a very popular tourist spot as it had a long and prestigious history in arts and culture – a favourite subject in aristocratic circles. It was also a famous glass wear producer, and canny Italian craftsmen quickly turned their glass making skills into making stunning miniature pictures out of glass tiles for their rich tourists.

Micro mosaic work jewellery of this period usually depicted famous Italian landmarks such as Vatican Square or the Collusium. The richest tourists would even commission their own mosaics, with flowers, animals or famous works of art being a favourite subject. The small size of the micro mosaic was particularly appealing; they could be worn on the Grand Tourists continuing journey, or sent back home to loved ones as a kind of fore-runner to our modern postcards.   Many micromosaics, rather than being sold in Italy, were exported to jewelers in London and Paris to be set into larger pieces.