Antique French clasp enamel pansy

Antique French clasp enamel pansy on gold 18 karats. This rare clasp of Normandy, in hollow gold, takes the form of a rectangular plate. It is decorated with colored enamel: on each side a blue enameled pansy blossoms in the center of the clasp. Around, a golden frieze on a blue enamelled background frames the flower. Underneath it is inscribed in French “à moi” (of me) because in the 19th century the sentimal jewels used the pansy to make a play of words as in French has the same pronunciation than a thought. So the meaning is “think of me”. Regional clasp of Normandy, French sentimental jewel of the beginning of the 19th century.

Ram hallmark (1819-1838)

Dimensions of the clasp : 21 mm x 34 mm

Condition : scratches from use

Weight : 2,87 gr

**The antique box is not sold with the item**

To know more : below an extract of an article by Valérie Goupil, doctor, expert and historian of the jewel, on the “Bijou de sentiment” in the 19th century: “The “sentimental jewel” is a jewel inspired by love, in its broadest sense: love, fraternal, filial, friendly … Offered, exchanged, token materializing the indestructible link between the person who wears it and his donor. Worn on oneself, sometimes even on the skin, it is a mediator allowing to stay physically in contact with the one you wish to keep close to you. This very intimate jewel, sometimes not “readable” to outside eyes, deploys a delicate ingenuity and uses a very personal language in order to restore the presence of the absent person. The modes of representation are varied: portraits, symbols, emblems, allegories, inscriptions and body fragments are used to make the loved one live with us. ”

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