DATE: Victorian, c.1880

A gorgeous antique bracelet crafted in the late 19th Century, circa 1880. It incorporates various different types of agate and jasper, hand cut and carved and typical in Scottish jewellery of the time, while the fittings are fashioned in silver. The clasp is an ornate heart-shaped padlock with oval locket compartment on one side. 

Scotland is known for its abundance of colourful agate which is found in a huge variety of colours and patterns, each type specific to a particular locality. Lapiadaries working in Edinburgh's "new town" made most of the pebble jewellery produced in the 18th and 19th centuries, sourcing stones from collectors who scoured the country in search of new deposits. Queen Victoria's love for all things Scottish generated a buoyant demand for jewellery of this style, and it's estimated that the number of people working in jewellery manufacturing in the 1870s exceeded two thousand.

STONES 

Jasper, Agates, Bloodstone

MEASUREMENTS 

Wearable length: 7.25 inches

Panels: 2.8 x 1.8cm

Clasp: 3.7 x 2.1cm

WEIGHT 

30.7g

MARKS 

No marks present, tests as sterling silver

CONDITION 

Very good, light wear commensurate with age. Locket glass is cracked