Victorian Italian Micro Mosaic Silver Girandole Necklace

A wonderful antique micro mosaic necklace in silver with a trio of teardrop-shaped mosaic drops. Each mosaic is formed of tiny glass tiles or tesserae mounted into silver wire settings to create fantastically intricate patterns of flowers and leaves. The teardrops and hexagon have a lovely domed cushion quality and the unusual palette of colours is beautifully subtle.

Micro mosaic jewellery became popular in Victorian times, during the early to mid-19th century, when it became the thing to do for wealthy British people to conduct The Grand Tour - a cultural trip around Europe, collecting souvenirs along the way. Italy was a popular destination for its rich cultural and artistic heritage and its high-quality glass production. Italian workshops became adept at producing micro mosaic artworks and jewellery for aristocratic tourists. 

SIZE: The chain is approximately 18 inches long, with a further inch or so for the width of the pendant section. The hexagon measures approximately 3 x 2.7cm, the total drop is just under 6.5cm.

WEIGHT: 12.7g. 

MATERIALS: Silver, glass.

HALLMARKS/STAMPS: Stamped 800 - the fineness of silver.

CONDITION: The necklace is in fantastic antique condition, we've found only two missing tesserae and you have to look long and hard to spot those. 

ERA: Estimated Victorian (c.1837-1901).

Antique and vintage boxes photographed are for display only and are not included unless stated in the description.

Please be sure to examine all the photos carefully as they form part of the description, and do feel free to ask if you have any questions, we’re always happy to help where we can!