Victorian Leaf Motif Locket, very much a late 1800’s English design, of a type which would, in those days, have been handcrafted by hand in Silver (Sterling Silver, i.e. 925 parts Silver in 1000 parts); the above piece, however, is crafted in quite low grade Silver, perhaps only around 50%, and, rather than being completely handcrafted, was created from an amalgam of finely detailed pressed designs and motifs, all very neatly soldered together.
The work is complex and handled well, but the use of low grade Silver and pressed designs indicates that the piece was created during the years of the First World War (1914 to 1918), or in the immediate period after that war when huge numbers of craftsmen had been lost to the workforce and money had become tight.
The above image of the locket open shows the normal two memento spaces, for a photo or pressed flowers or whatever, complete with the original rims for holding in place the contents. (Note; these rims, though original, are not particularly well-fitting and require some fiddling to make work.)
The large bale ring at the top, for a chain, is of Sterling Silver, handmade Sydney for the locket.