Featured Gold (?) buckle locket, what age and any info please!

Hello all! This locket came amongst a lot I won at auction recently, I thought it was a little older but didn't think much of it as it had black marks all over it and I assumed it was worn, gold plated (or gold filled etc.).

I was cleaning and testing a bunch of jewelry today and was surprised that practically all of the black came off as dirt. I have tested it several times and it keeps coming back as 14K (or maybe 15ct if British?), the rose gold ring holding the bail is testing at 10K (or maybe 9ct if British). I'm wondering if it could be thickly plated and still test as gold? I don't want to get too excited that it might be actual gold just yet (as it's 24g) . Also, what age do you think it is, Edwardian? or a revival piece? The slightly odd thing is, is that inside where the photos would be appears to be covered in a thin plastic-like material, not glass. Any info appreciated, thank you!

 

the ring is an add on , & nothing to do with the pendant ...

bottom rim of left frame..... do I see a square stamp mark ????

 

I don't believe so, I actually thought it was dirt but when I looked through my loupe, it appears to be a little gap to pop up the inner frame to put photos in (although I've been unsuccessful doing that so far!)

 

below that to the right....

 

Ah right, no sadly not.

 

Not an expert!

The rims look a bit thinner and the inserts a little different than the ones I've seen for my late 19th c lockets. So I'd guess early 20th personally, but could be late 19th. Plastic doesn't surprise me since they had it by then.

"For regular Victorian citizens, buckles were associated with loyalty, fidelity, and strength. It also represented the joining of two people." (Source)

Can't help in the gold question because I've had it myself so I wait for expert opinions! The gold sometimes gets black though....yeppppp. I've gotten many a great deal from people that don't realize old gold can tarnish and get dirty.

 

Anything short of 24k can tarnish with the right, or wrong, exposure. Raw onion is known for it, and I just saw one ring on Fartbook that went into a chlorinated pool. Did a number on the 10k ring. This does look like gold-filled on the inside, but knowing Edwardians (best guess) nothing would surprise me.

 

How did you test it? Scratch test and KEE tester can be fooled by thick gold plating, so you might want a XRF test for sure, since this is a heavy piece.

Also weight might not be the best indicator. This locket I have which I know is gilt metal, also weighs 23g and is of similar size. But real gold tends to be made thinner, so if you feel your locket is hollow beneath the thin outer shell then it might be gold given the weight (excluding the glass too)

 

Love the locket. Buckle jewellery was popular in the 19th century, but given the plastic inserts I would think this one is early 20th.
My guess is gold plated. Probably not gold filled, which is a specific technique where a layer of gold is bonded under pressure to a layer of base metal.
As shamster said, XRF testing will give you certainty.

The rose gold clasp looks gold to me. It has no business being there but it is a nice bonus which can be used on something else.

 

Thank you! Yes I acid tested it. I wish I had better access to somewhere with an xrf machine. I can't seem to find too many around!

 

Thanks for your replies everyone! I'll see if I can track down somewhere with an xrf machine!

 

I don’t have access to an xrf machine. I just use acid. I have found if you find a small sharp edge in a less noticeable spot and scratch a few lines it will tell if the item is plated. It does only a tiny bit of damage if you do it right. The acid on the last line will dissolve more than on your first line.

The first picture I did three lines just to be safe, because I could not find a mark on the piece. It is 14k solid. The second picture was from a piece that was marked plated. It only took two lines to start to wear through the plating.

 

Oh, OK I'll try this and maybe post a pic and see what you think thank you!

 

Ok, first pic is bail scratched 3x times then locket 3x times. Second pic is locket scratched again 4x times for good measure. I also re-weighed and its 20g.

 

That looks good to me. I would guess that is solid.

 

Fingers crossed! Thanks for the help.

 

Just a follow up on this one- it is 14K rose gold with a heavy 18K plating. I sent it off to an auction house to confirm

 

Thank you for letting us know.

 

hummm, I've never heard of plating gold...with more gold..??

 

It's not common, for certain. I've never run across it either, but you never know what an old jeweler might have thought up.