Victorian French 18k Yellow Gold "Souvenir" Book Bracelet Circa 1870
This is a great opportunity to own a magnificent historical piece! This cleverly conceived Victorian bracelet folds into a book with ornate French enameling. The blue color is meant to evoke the petals of the forget me not, an important and often used flower in Victorian era jewelry for obvious sentimental reasons. The gold book expands into a 7.25" bracelet with exquisite French enamel work that spells out the word "Souvenir". It was created in France back in the 19th century, circa 1870. The idea of the souvenir really came into being during the Victorian era, people were moving about the world with greater ease and collecting mementos as they went. Although this bracelet forms the word "souvenir", the meaning of this bracelet is a little different than what we typically think of when we talk about souvenirs. It's helpful to think of it in terms of its French translation of "memory", this wonderful piece would have been given as a love token to commemorate an important event or day in the life of two intimates, in this case the photos of the two are placed on the interio. Exquisite, unusual, very rare and in excellent antique condition. Weight: 48.3 gr. Width: 1”.