Three near-identical necklaces are built around elaborate Victorian memorial clasps, each one doing double duty as the focal pendant. Beneath the glass is a small compartment containing woven hair, surrounded by exuberant gold scrollwork and floral details. Hair jewelry reached the height of its popularity in the mid-19th century, when locks were exchanged between lovers, friends, and family members as personal keepsakes. It was used in mourning jewelry, too, but that's not what we're seeing here - these lack any funerary symbols so were almost certainly tokens of affection.
Each clasp opens fairly easily, and the three matching examples are sold separately.
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), glass lens, hair, new 14k gold chain
AGE: c. 1850
CONDITION: Very good
SIZE: 3/4" x 3/8" clasp, 16" chain