Meiji Period Japanese Mixed Metal Watch Fob Heart Locket

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$450.00

Quantity Available: 1

A delightful Japanese silver and patinated steel short watch fob suspending a heart shaped locket decorated with gold and silver shakudo style inlay. One side of the locket is decorated with a beautifully worked iris and foliage, while the other side has a pair of inlaid swallows. The interior is engraved, either with the makers name or with an affectionate inscription. This is a most unusual adaptation of the Western imagery of the heart as a love token with the late 19th century Japanese aesthetic. Origin: Japan, ca. 1900. Condition: excellent, all original, patination intact. Size: overall, 5-5/8 long; heart, 11/16 x 21/32. Weight: 17.5 grams.