circa 1910s

This exceptionally fine and very rare heart-shaped gold locket pendant is embellished with delicate golden-pink guilloche enamel of outstanding quality, centered with a sparkling old cut diamond. The reverse is finished in plain polished gold, while the interior retains its original heart-shaped miniature picture frame complete with the original protective crystal.

The original suspension ring, where the maker’s mark would typically appear, was replaced at some point in the past, and therefore the mark is no longer present.

Nevertheless, the pendant displays all the defining characteristics of Faberge craftsmanship and design. The superior quality and distinctive color of the guilloche enamel, the refined execution, the miniature scale comparable to miniature egg pendants of the period, and most importantly the engraved six-digit inventory number (102442) strongly support a Faberge attribution. The style and format of this inventory number correspond closely to those found on Faberge pieces and are consistent with numbering practices of the 1910s.

The heart measures 13 x 13 mm (1/2 x 1/2 in.)

Condition: Overall excellent condition, with only a small, shallow dent visible on the back cover.

A plain gold Russian egg pendant dating to 1908–1917 is illustrated for size comparison. Judging by its miniature scale, closely matching that of egg pendants from the same period, this enameled heart was almost certainly intended to serve as a highlight or accent pendant on an egg necklace of the era.

To our knowledge, this is the first enameled heart pendant of such exceptionally small size that we have encountered, making it a particularly rare and noteworthy example of jewelry from the Tsarist era.