Victorian silver locket with engraved fern design, hallmarked Birmingham 1885

An oval Victorian silver locket with an engraved fern motif to the front.

The central panel is decorated with a simple, hand-engraved frond, set within a raised border. Around this sits a wider frame with a repeating, faceted edge. The locket opens on a hinge to reveal two internal compartments for photographs or keepsakes.

Fully hallmarked for Birmingham 1885. The maker’s mark “FJB” is attributed to Frederick Joseph Braham.

The date letter is struck within a square cartouche with clipped corners. While date letter shapes are often shown in standardised forms (such as oval), variations like this do appear in practice. Punches were replaced over time and could vary slightly, particularly on smaller items such as lockets.

Although the piece dates to a period when duty marks were still in use, there is no monarch’s head (Victoria) present. The duty mark, introduced in 1784 and discontinued in 1890, was not always applied to smaller objects and is often absent on pieces of this scale.

Weight: 2.7g

Measurements: 1" height (including hanging loop), 0.6" width

This is an antique item with signs of wear but in good condition for its age. Please refer to photos as these form part of the description.