Vintage Sterling Pendant
These vintage sterling pendant pieces span Victorian locket designs to clean Mid-Century Modernist Danish work in silver.
Vintage Sterling Pendant
A vintage sterling pendant brings together small-scale silver work and diverse decorative arts spanning the Victorian era through the mid-twentieth century. Buyers searching for a vintage sterling pendant encounter items ranging from engraved lockets and sovereign cases to Arts and Crafts creations and Art Deco guilloche enamel pieces.
The selection on this page relies heavily on early twentieth-century British silverwork alongside mid-century Scandinavian designs. Formats shift from functional whistle pendants and stamp cases to gemstone-set drops containing amethysts, jade, marcasite, and onyx.
Materials and construction
Makers utilised sterling silver and standard silver as the structural base for these items, often applying hand-engraving, filigree wirework, or polished finishes. Solid silver cases and frames frequently incorporate applied elements like enamel crests or cast decorative borders.
Gemstones and organic materials including moonstone, amber, opal, and blister pearl are integrated using bezel settings or simple wire wraps. Enamelling techniques such as guilloche provide patterned translucent colour across compacts, purses, and pendants.
Vintage Sterling Pendant Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for vintage sterling pendant 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.
Several silver items double as miniature folding mirrors, match safes, and coin holders designed for pockets.
Separating levels of execution
The distinction between standard commercial pieces and finer examples rests on the crispness of the hand-engraving and the precision of the metal assembly. Superior items display clean joinery, well-balanced proportions, and secure stone settings that sit flush within the silver mounts.
In enamelled or gemstone pieces, quality is determined by the intact preservation of the surface and the depth of colour within the glass or stone. Pieces retaining clear hallmarks and maker marks demonstrate verified provenance and superior workshop standards.
CRISFORD & NORRIS·HENRY WILLIAMSON·G. HOPPE·HENRY MATTHEWS·ALBERT ERNEST JENKINS·HENRY CHARLES FREEMAN·WH HASELER·LIBERTY AND CO
The Vintage Sterling Pendant Glossary
- Sterling silver
- An alloy containing 92.5 percent silver by mass, with the remainder usually copper. This standard provides the primary metal base for the pieces catalogued here.
- Guilloche enamel
- A decorative technique where a transparent enamel layer is applied over machined metal with repetitive geometric patterns. It appears frequently on Art Deco compacts and pendants.
- Marcasite
- Small faceted polished pyrite stones set closely together in silver mounts to provide glittering metallic accents. These are common in Art Deco and Victorian jewellery.
- Sovereign case
- A small circular pocket container made to hold British gold sovereign coins. Many examples from the Edwardian and George V periods are adapted as pendants.
- Vesta case
- A small box with a striking surface designed to hold matches. Edwardian and George V silver versions often feature engraved decoration or enamel crests.
Vintage Sterling Pendant: Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these pendants cover?
The listings span from Victorian and Edwardian items through Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, and mid-century modern designs.
Most pieces originate from the late nineteenth century up to the 1960s, reflecting changing aesthetic preferences across several decades.
How do I identify a sovereign case pendant?
Sovereign cases are small, hinged round containers originally built to hold British gold coins in the pocket. They often feature suspension loops that allow them to be worn on a chain as a pendant.
Many date from the Edwardian and George V periods, frequently displaying crisp monogram engraving or polished silver surfaces.
What is guilloche enamel?
Guilloche enamel involves layering translucent coloured glass over a metal base that has been machine-turned with intricate repeating patterns. This technique creates a shimmering, patterned depth beneath the smooth surface.
It appears on compacts, mirrors, and pendants, particularly from the Art Deco era.
Are these pieces marked with hallmarks?
Many British pieces include hallmarks indicating the assay office, silver standard, and year of manufacture. Danish and other continental items often feature standard numerical purity marks like 925 alongside maker stamps.