Georgian 14K Gold Fede Ring with Locket Compartment & Pearl & Turquoise Flower

Description

Crafted of 14K gold with a lovely bloomed finish, the ring features a classic design of two cuffed hands holding a flower (a pansy or forget-me-not, most likely, in friendship, love and remembrance.) The flower blossom’s petals are set with pearl, while the centre is Persian turquoise. To the reverse is the original locket compartment still holding finely woven hair.

Each hand is textured and detailed with small fingernails and fluted turn-ups.

Atop the locket compartment, the gems are held in pinched collet style settings that remain in very good condition. The pearls have nice lustre with some small imperfections seen with magnification. Their colour is creamy with both silvery and slightly champagne hues, which contrast nicely to the “pop” of colour from the Persian turquoise centre. The turquoise has a small chip at one edge of its setting, seen with magnification; the flower measures approximately 7 mm in diameter.

At the back of the flower is the locket compartment, which remains in very good original condition, though it is lacking the glazing. Inside is very finely woven hair of a deep brown colour. A small piece of plastic or glass glazing could be made to cover the locket, if desired.

The band is dainty, simple and elegant – tapering slightly from the turn-ups to the back of the
band, with a polished finish that still has a rich colour, though no longer has the slightly matte bloomed finish the hands have. No hallmarks are present; the band has a slightly oval shape that makes it very comfortable on the hand, and may be an old replacement band, but is certainly not new.

Other than the small chip to the turquoise and the missing glazing to the locket compartment, I see one small hairline where one finger meets the compartment. It looks to have been there a long time and has not been repaired or altered. Otherwise, I see only very light wear and find the ring to be in very good antique condition for its type and age. On my scale, the finished weight is 2.48 grammes.

Currently fitting me as a size 7.5 to 7.75 (it registers as a 7 on my mandrel but the slight oval-ness gives it a more generous fit) it could be carefully sized within reason by a good jeweller. I do recommend using a jeweller experienced in antique jewellery to size this very special piece.