Edwardian 15ct Gold Opal Heart Pendant With Gemstones That Spell Dearest

Acrostic jewellery is fascinating. Every piece that we source is different in its own way but with the common theme of sending a coded message to the recipient. Here we have a 15ct62.5% pure gold (or 625 parts pure gold and 375 parts other metals). Popular during the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras but was discontinued in the mid-1930s. gold heart shaped pendant that was made circa 1910 and has been set with a heart shaped opalOpals occur in a range of body colours from white, black or grey, bright orangey red and a pale watery colour. The most precious opals show strong colour contrast and generally have a dark body colour with a vivid array of colour play. in the centre. This is surrounded with gemstones that spell Dearest. The first letter of each stone is the key. 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… EmeraldOne of the four ‘precious’ stones. An intense, deep green is the most desirable colour for emeralds. Flaws and cloudiness (‘jardin’) are very common in emeralds, so stones are often oiled, irradiated, and dyed to improve their look. Synthetic emeralds have fewer imperfections and are hard to set apart from natural stones. Emeralds belong to the beryl… AmethystAmethyst is the purple variety of macrocrystalline quartz. From the Greek amethystos meaning ‘a remedy against drunkedness’, it was believed to prevent intoxication and ensure the wearer retains a clear head and quick wit. It was once considered as valuable as ruby, sapphire and emerald. RubyOne of the most valuable gemstones on earth. From the corundum family, the red variety being ruby and the blue, sapphire. With the exception of the diamond, corundum is the hardest of the gemstones on the Mohs scale scoring a 9. Emerald 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.
TopazIt comes in many colours, including brown, green. blue, yellow, red, pink and orange. Topaz is very hard, being 8 on the Mohs scale, with a high cleavage. . What a wonderful gift to someone that you adore!