Old Mosaic Pendant, but what is on the back?

[Jaichim24]

I found this at a house dating to the 1860's, but it is on the main street of the town so there have been older items found at this house.

It's one of the cooler things I've found, but I have several questions about it.

At first glace it appears to be a pendant of some sort, due to the loop up at the top for a necklace. However, on the back is the remnant of some sort of attachment which I can't figure out what it was for.

Maybe some sort of earring, like a kids earring that didn't require a pierced ear? Perhaps it had something else attached to it that is now gone? Though the loop for the necklace is pretty delicate looking so I can't imagine them adding more weight to it.

Maybe it was a pendant that they later tried to turn into something else?

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas.

Does anyone have an idea as to the age? Based on the other items I found, I would get victorian period?

Also, what is the mosaic made from? At first glance I thought it was just glass, but the green surrounding the mosaic does not look like glass, it seems to "cloudy". Could it be jade? If it is jade, would that mean the other parts of the mosaic are semi-precious stones, or could be still be glass?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Jai

 

[artyfacts]

Your mosaic pendant is a very colorful find. This might of been a glass workers hobby. You have a combination of hand painted fired leaves, combination of multi colored glass rods and glass frit. The rods were hand pulled then placed in a kiln to anneal. These glass rods would have been chopped into little colorful glass chunks and used in your masaic. I have been a glass worker for thirty eight years. When I first started in the glass trade I made multi colored glass crosses and sold them on the side and they were also great presents. Starving artist syndrome. The green border in your mosaic could be other then glass. Glass came in all colors and density's, opalescents (cloudy) and cathedrals (clear). Nice find. Arty

 

[Jaichim24]

Wow Artyfacts, thanks for the indepth report on how it was manufactured. VERY cool, I do appreciate the write up. Can you tell at all based on the colors or style of glass used the age on it?

I'm still curious as to what is on the back of it, as I think the original use for it was some sort of necklace ornament or pendant.

I'm starting to think it was turned into a clip on earring of some sort, seems to make the most sense.

 

[oldmaps]

If you google micro mosaic you can find more info about your piece , thats what this type of art work is usally called.

 

[DCMatt]

artyfacts & old maps are right on. I googled Victorian glass mosaic and found this:

Great ID guys!

DCMatt

 

[artyfacts]

No telling of the age of the glass with such small pieces. The firing of the leaves tells me the person who put this together had access to a glass studio with a kiln and fire paint. If you look at the red and black pedals they were fired in a kiln or torched, the edges are smooth. These pedals might not of had to go in a kiln but the two colors would of had to of had the same coefficient rate of expansion otherwise they would have shattered in the cooling process. In layman's terms, someone knew what they were doing. Wish I could tell you more. Arty

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I feel that this piece started out life as something completely different.

The surrounding metal wreath border and "charm" would have originally been at the end of a necklace. Later it it's life, I feel that it was probably converted into a brooch. I feel that underneath the very "crude" glasswork is the original older piece.

 

[Jaichim24]

I feel that this piece started out life as something completely different.

The surrounding metal wreath border and "charm" would have originally been at the end of a necklace. Later it it's life, I feel that it was probably converted into a brooch. I feel that underneath the very "crude" glasswork is the original older piece.

Hrmm, interesting theory, I did notice that under the micro mosaic is some sort of white back ground. I assumed that was the adhesive used.

I do agree that this piece did start out as a pendant given the wreath border, and of course the loop up at the top. It's sort of small to be a brooch, that why I thought it may have been a clip on earring.

I still can't figure out what is attached to the back. Hopefully this response will bump this post up to more sets of eyes and some more thoughts.

Thanks all for looking.

Matt

 

[bearschick]

What if it was an earring originally? The place that your thinking was the top might actually be the bottom and something hung off of it?

 

[Breezie]

There are 3 types of Mosaic jewelry; Pietra Dura, Mosaic, and Micromosaic. All are similar, but the technique is different. Your piece is 'mosaic' because micromosaic has no visible spaces, and looks like one smooth picture. Bearschick could be right in that the back looks like a clip-on earring. If so, the loop would be at the bottom with some type of decorative thingie hanging from it. Clip-on earrings were invented circa 1930s, and Screw-on earrings were invented later around the late 1940s. It also could be a pendant, and the part on the back held a pin/clasp. My grandmother's Cameo is like that with a pendant loop at the top, and a pin on the back making it an either or. You found some really nice items, Breezie

http://www.etsy.com/listing/17875048/vintage-mosaic-flower-earrings

 

[Michellets]

It's hard to tell from the picture that you posted of the glass pendant if the glass fragments (cane) are embedded into a clear glass, or just placed into the oval and held there by pressure or glue. I wouldn't mind seeing a side view of that pendant. I would also like to know if the piece that is attached to the back is soldered on, or attached with a tiny rivet so that the piece moves or pivots.... That might be significant .. It's pretty hard to tell the size of that pendant ... it looks pretty small to me...less than 3/4" diam. Part of me wants to say that the metal work looks machined... not hand twisted and hand soldered to a handmade backing.... This piece appears to be pretty modern... If it were high quality glass work what you would see is cane glass embedded into a clear glass (like a paperweight), or the glass would be slightly fused together in an oven, and the sourrounding metal would more likely be either hand worked siver, or gold with a makers mark..... That piece on the back does have me stumped though... hmmmm... maybe a clip on earring, with a dangly thing held by the loop.....BTW... I like what Breezy mentioned.... that gal is smart!
OH...BTW... NYSCC (nys college of ceramics grad here... Alfred U... class of 82)... and yes there were programs in glass there also... HH <Michelle

 

[artyfacts]

The name that applies to the decorative slices are called, milleflori.