Some necklaces are designed; this one was assembled, the way so much good Victorian jewelry was, from pieces that had already lived a life or two. A 14k gold curb-link fob chain, converted to a necklace with a later gold-tone spring ring, runs through a 9ct gold taille d'épargne slide worked in black and white enamel. From it hang two pendants in carved salmon coral: a horse's hoof capped in 9ct gold, and a 10k gold hinged locket whose front is chased with scrolling flowers around a carved coral cameo of a beauty in profile, her hair falling in loose waves. The locket opens on its hinge to two interior compartments. A 14k gold jump ring completes the ensemble.

Taille d'épargne, black enamel laid into engraved channels so that the design reads like ink drawn on gold, was at the height of fashion in the 1860s and 1870s, and slides like this one were made to ride up and down the long guard and watch chains of the period. Coral, worn as a protective talisman since antiquity, was a Victorian favorite, and a carved hoof is a cousin, in spirit, of the lucky horseshoe over the door.

The Details

• Era: Victorian, the slide c. 1860s–1880s
• Metal: 14k gold fob chain and jump ring; 9ct gold slide and hoof mount; 10k gold locket; gold-tone spring ring clasp (later)
• Materials: Carved salmon coral (horse's hoof and cameo), untested: not determined whether natural, treated or synthetic; black and white enamel (slide)
• Measurements: Locket 23 mm wide x 34 mm high (0.90 x 1.34 in.) including bail; horse's hoof 33 mm (1.30 in.) long excluding bail; slide 23 mm. 
• Length: Chain measures 22 inches exclusive of charms. 
• Weight: 24.3 grams gross, the necklace in its entirety (15.6 dwt)
• Condition: Good, with minor dings and dents and light surface scratches.