Victorian 15ct Gold Locket With Hinged Seal Inside

This is a very unusual piece of jewellery that was made circa 1880. To all intents and purposes it looks like a locket that would have been worn by a lady, but when opened it reveals a sealA stone or metal plaque carved with an image (an intaglio) but with design reversed so that it is readable when impressed in wax.
that hinges outwards so that it could have been used to seal envellopes etc. On one side is a carved bloodstoneA dark green to dark bluish-green variety of Chalcedony that is splattered with red or brown spots that resemble blood. The extent of the marking varies depending on the stone. Spots are favoured over larger stripes and markings. with an intaglioAn engraved stone, the opposite of a cameo, with a recessed design cut below the surface of the stone. Intaglio designs are common for signet rings and fob seals. of an ourabos (snake) with a bird in the centre. On the other side is a banded sardonyx with an intaglio of a Gothick style monogram “MP”. It tests to above 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 and is heavy gage. A real collectors piece.