General Information:
- Length: 16.625 inches (42.2275 cm/422.275 mm)
- Precious Metal Weight: About 5.30 dwt
- Precious Metal Material: 18k warm yellow gold
- Weight: 8.25 grams
- Markings: Unmarked
- Era: This chain is believed to date to sometime between the 1870s and about 1900.
- Buyer Notes: This chain is a remarkable rarity; although antique 'Gobbo' charms are typically found as individual accessories, this offering includes an affixed antique high karat gold necklace. Not only is every link hand-formed and fashioned, but a super desirable, and nicely sized bolt ring clasp completes the look.
- Valuation: This chain has an assessed market value of $2,270 USD at the time of listing. This is not a written, formal appraisal, but may be helpful when considering a purchase.
The Story:
This brilliant gold necklace survives as a stunning example of Victorian allegorical finery. The chain comprises of a fancy link variation of double-looped belcher links, every single one fashioned and interlocked by the hand of an artisan over a century and a half ago. While a very few of the links have since been soldered together for strength, the historic integrity of the piece remains uncompromised and on powerful display. A large antique bolt ring complements the belcher style links, and is believed to be original to the piece. The age of this ring may be noted by the lack of a pull-back knob; the ring is opened by pushing the lip of the opening to compress the inner spring. This ring offers the wearer both elegance and practicality.
Centering the necklace is a horizontal bar that is octagonal in silhouette. This bar was originally a barrel clasp that has since been soldered closed, transitioning the feature from functional to decorative. A hand-carved coral Gobbo charm dangles from the bar and anchors aesthetic of the necklace. This style charm is unique to Italy, and is a three-dimensional figural pendant depicting a hunchback. Indeed, the word Gobbo translates from the Italian language to mean exactly that: hunchback. A Gobbo amulet is traditionally made to appear as a sharply-dressed fellow who dons a dapper waistcoat and tall top hat, sometimes even a walking cane. He sometimes holds horseshoes or is bedecked in garlic garlands, and in rarer examples, his figure evolves into a cornicello from the waist down.
Gobbos are believed to be emblems of good fortune, and it was long thought that if a gambler crossed paths with someone with kyphosis, they were sure to win big. Historically, humpacked figures were thought to divert the attention of the evil eye away from the wearer and onto the curiosity of the amulet. In this way, the wearer would be spared and blessed with luck and prosperity instead. It could very well be that the coral charm herein was purchased as a Grand Tour souvenir and later mounted on the chain of the buyer's choice once back home in America.
A token of a bygone era, imbued with countless stories and loads of luck, this Victorian-era jewel is ready for lifetimes of wear ahead!
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General Information: All additional jewelry boxes, ring boxes, and other jewelry items pictured alongside a featured listing are considered props, are for photographic and display purposes only and are not included in the transaction unless otherwise noted. Items do not come with physical documentation, appraisals, or certifications, unless explicitly stated in the item description and/or title. While jewelry is inspected upon procurement by the shop as well as prior to shipment, Revival Fine Jewelry cannot guarantee a warranty once items leave our inventory, given the delicate and individual nature of secondhand articles and the unaccountability of buyer handling post-purchase.
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Regarding Brooches & Pins: Often significantly and curiously undervalued jewelry items, brooches, pins and stick pins are treasured pieces of history in this shop. Accordingly, their pricing is calculated analogous to other fine jewelry, including their symbolic meaning, rarity and historical prestige. Such pieces are typically converted to other forms of jewelry, and are therefore becoming increasingly rare in their original states. Aside from being perfectly wearable as sophisticated lapel ornaments, brooches and pins of all kinds are prime candidates for many kinds of fine jewelry conversions, including rings, earrings, pendants, and charms, if so desired by the consumer post-purchase. Revival Fine Jewelry does not perform conversion projects for customers.
Regarding Storage & Boxes: All specifications, including but not limited to the measurements, age, origins, and material compositions are supplied in good faith as professional estimations constructed using professional grade tools, years of learned and honed skills, educational resources and academic scholarship, and refined research methods. Regardless of our confidence in our descriptions and the photographs deemed viable extensions of these descriptions, we cannot guarantee the definitiveness, faultlessness, or exactitude beyond our knowledge and expertise. Kindly keep in mind that this and all items are sold as-is vintage, antique and estate secondhand wares, and consequently bear conditional wear in matter and operation commensurate with age and use.
More information on these, and more, topics may be found in the shop policies.
All layaway terms may be found here, and all shop policies may be found here.
Layaway is available for full priced, non-sale items priced $600.00 USD or greater, and items may not be combined to attain price-eligibility. Plans are offered as 3-month/90-day maximum terms.
In exchange for offering interest-free plans, customers agree to abide and uphold the following nonnegotiable terms and conditions:
- A 30% deposit is due upfront to reserve the item for layaway and pull it from public sale on all of our shopping platforms. Shipping expenses are added to this first payment unless otherwise requested.
- The remaining 70% balance is divided up into three subsequent monthly payments due on the same day of the following three months. If delinquent, a $20.00 USD late fee is added per day to an overdue payment until paid.
- In the event that a layaway installment is left unpaid for seven (7) days and no communication is received from the designated customer, the layaway plan will be presumed abandoned. While the item will be returned to public sale, all payments made hitherto are still considered final.
Layaway items are promptly boxed and shipped to the designated customer once the final payment successfully processes. Taxes, import and other legal fees are not calculated into the payments, and are the sole responsibility of the customer, whether a domestic US or international buyer. Revival Fine Jewelry is not responsible for calculating, covering or adding such costs into purchase prices.
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Request a layaway plan via email here. Remember to specify your desired item by providing its link, title or SKU/code.