Circa the 1840’s, this heart padlock bracelet has all its early Victorian era elements still in tact— a rare feat for a piece almost two centuries old. With all the bells and whistles, this antique piece features a heart padlock clasp on a hand-engraved fancy link chain, stunning in its detail all the way down to the faceted jump ring on the end links. The heart padlock is beautifully hand engraved with a floral motif around turquoise cabochons representing a forget-me-not flower. In the flower’s center is an abraded stone which makes identifying the stone difficult, but does not detract from the overall beauty of the piece. On the back of the clasp is a glass crystal in the shape of a heart, which currently holds a piece of lace that could be replaced with a photograph, lock of hair, or other object befitting of the sentiment. The clasp opens and closes in perfect working order.
Often, these padlock clasps are separated from their original bracelets, but this one is still connected to an authentic early Victorian 10k gold fancy link chain. The bracelet contains serpentine-shaped links, hand-engraved on the sides and carved with an alternating cutout of a heart and star. The links are held together by faceted circular links that date the bracelet to the early Victorian era. The final jump ring is faceted as well, authentic to the time period. The 10k gold has a beautiful patina and rosy hue indicative of gold from this era.
The bracelet measures 7 3/4” in length, and with the clasp, fits an 8” wrist. A link could be removed by a jeweler to fit a smaller wrist (but we recommend keeping it as is to protect the integrity of this special antique!). The links measure 3/4" x 5/16" x 1/8". The heart padlock measures 1 1/8" x 3/4". The piece weighs 17.5 grams. The gold is unmarked and tests as 10k.
