Vintage Gold Medallion
When you handle a vintage gold medallion, you hold a miniature work of French religious devotion or personal sentiment cast in precious metal.
Vintage Gold Medallion
A vintage gold medallion encompasses pendant medals, charms, and lockets originating largely from French workshops and spanning the Victorian era through the mid-twentieth century. Buyers searching for a vintage gold medallion typically encounter items fashioned in yellow, rose, or white gold, frequently depicting religious figures such as the Virgin Mary, Madonna and Child, or Saint John the Baptist.
The selection ranges from early nineteenth-century double-sided Viennese enamel pieces to Art Deco diamond pendants and 1920s zodiac sign charms. Alongside devotional medals, items feature secular motifs like lucky clovers, deer hunting horns, monograms, and floral wreaths, often rendered in solid eighteen-carat gold.
What varies in quality
Quality rests in the crispness of the metal relief and the fineness of hand-engraved details on the figures and borders. Medallions featuring complex enamel work, such as plique-a-jour or layered mother-of-pearl frames, demonstrate higher technical skill than plain stamped discs.
The presence of named artist signatures, hallmarks denoting eighteen-carat purity, and integrated gemstone settings like old-cut diamonds or pearls elevate the execution. The preservation of delicate enamel surfaces without loss or cracking distinguishes superior examples.
Vintage Gold Medallion Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for vintage gold medallion among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
A deer hunting horn charm shares space with zodiac signs and holy doves, proving Victorians took both sport and spirit very seriously.
Emile Monier·Paul Brandt·Perroud·Mazzoni·Pageli Perriat·Guilbert·Vernon·Emile Dropsy·Sellier·Rasumny
The Vintage Gold Medallion Glossary
- Pique-a-jour
- Enamelling technique where enamel is applied to open cells without a backing, allowing light to shine through like stained glass.
- Medallion
- A large medal-like pendant worn around the neck, often cast in gold with figural or religious relief work.
- Locket
- A small hinged metal case designed to hold a miniature portrait or lock of hair, worn suspended from a chain.
- Enamel
- Vitreous substance fused to metal through firing to impart colour and decoration to the surface of the piece.
- Hallmark
- Official stamp applied to precious metals indicating purity, origin, and maker.
Vintage Gold Medallion: Frequently Asked Questions
What materials are used in these medallions?
The pieces utilise yellow, rose, and white gold, predominantly in eighteen-carat purity, alongside occasional nine-carat or fifteen-carat examples. Artisans added mother-of-pearl, pearls, diamonds, turquoise, and coloured enamel.
Surfaces are finished with hand engraving, twisted wire borders, and relief casting to accent the central motifs.
How do I identify the period of a medallion?
Dating relies on stylistic markers such as Art Nouveau floral lines, Art Deco geometric framing, or nineteenth-century devotional iconography. Maker signatures and French hallmarks also assist in establishing the era.
Comparing the manufacturing technique, such as plique-a-jour enamelling or hand-stamped relief, provides further clues to age.
Were these pieces worn as jewellery?
Most items function as pendants or charms intended for necklaces, chains, or charm bracelets. Double-sided pieces and lockets offered personal spaces for portraits or hair.
Religious medals were worn close to the heart as symbols of faith or protective talismans.
What themes appear on the pendants?
Religious imagery dominates, featuring the Virgin Mary, Madonna and Child, Jesus Christ, and various saints. Secular themes include zodiac signs, lucky clovers, hunting horns, and floral wreaths.
Monogrammed pieces featuring engraved initials also appear frequently within the selection.