French Belle Epoque Paste & Marcasite Silver Basket & Bow Pendant on Silver Chain

A pretty pasteGlass made to resemble gem materials, which may be moulded, faceted, carved, etc.  More and marcasiteThe marcasite of jewellery is in fact iron pyrite as marcasite itself is too brittle alone for the durability required of a piece. This jewellery marcasite is sometimes called ‘fool’s gold’ given its heavily metallic appearance. Marcasite of this kind also offers a kind of iridescence, explaining its use as a more affordable diamond replacement that wi... More silverA metallic element which is malleable and ductile, and white in colour, making it ideal for use in jewellery. It is usually mixed with copper to improve its hardness.
More pendant made circa 1910-1925 in France, in the typical delicate style of the period. The French made wonderful delicate pretty jewellery and this necklace is no exception. It was the costume jewelleryJewellery designed for wear with current fashions and usually made of inexpensive materials. Usually applied to two classes of jewellery: gem-set imitations, which resemble precious jewellery but are made of silver (sometimes rhodium-coated) or pinchbeck and set with substitutes for gemstones, e.g. marcasite, paste or synthetic gemstones; although usually th... More of the day which imitated the much more expensive diamondA precious, lustrous gemstone made of highly compressed carbon. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known to mankind. Colours of diamonds range from colourless, yellow, orange and brown to almost black. Natural coloured (or ‘fancy’) diamonds can be extremely rare. The cut, colour, clarity and carat weight of a diamond are the criteria jewellers use... More, green garnetDescribes a group of several closely related minerals. Garnets come in a variety of colours, however the most common colour is dark red. In descriptions, ‘garnet’ tends to refer to dark red stones unless otherwise specified. More, pink sapphireBlue is the best-known colour for this gemstone but it can be found in all colours of the spectrum. After diamond, sapphire is the hardest gemstone.
More and platinumDerives from the Spanish word 'platina' meaning 'little silver'. Acknowledged since the 1900s, platinum's durability and natural brightness has been and still is today highly treasured A metallic element prized for its rarity, whiteness, high tensile strength and insusceptibility to corrosion, platinum first became widely used in jewellery in the late ninete... More pendant. Having said that this pendant has been hand made and the paste and marcasite have been hand set, a time consuming and pleasing result as wearable today as it was in the early 20th century