DATE: Victorian, c.1880

Alluring antique puffed heart pendant, pavé set with turquoise and pearl. The turquoise cabochons are arranged to form the petals of a flower (likely intended to be a pansy) in the centre of the heart. It's crafted in 9 karat gold and dates from the latter half of the 19th century, circa 1880.

The name "pansy" derives from the French pensée (meaning thought), and was incorporated into Late Middle English as a name for violas (the flower) in the mid 1400s. These flowers were thus regarded as a symbol of remembrance, representing "love in idleness" to evoke the image of a lover who can focus on nothing but the thought of her/his beloved.

Pansy is used more-or-less interchangeably with viola and violet when describing flowers of the type Viola tricolor var. hortensis (such as is depicted here). One distinction occasionally cited is that plants considered to be pansies have four petals pointing upwards (the two side petals point up), and one pointing down whereas violets have two petals pointing up and three pointing down. Another, used by the American Violet Society, states that pansies differ from violets/violas by possessing a "well-defined 'blotch' or 'eye' in the middle of the flower'. Wild pansies are known by a variety of weird and interesting names such as: heartsease or heart's ease, Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me, three faces in a hood, pink of my john, heart's delight, tickle-my-fancy, and the aforementioned love-in-idleness (don't ask me about any of the rest...).

STONES 

Turquoise & Pearl

MEASUREMENTS 

2.1 x 1.2cm (including bail)

WEIGHT 

3.6g

MARKS 

Stamped 9ct

CONDITION 

Very good, with fine antique patina