Lovers eye

A lovers eye painting is a miniature of the givers eye presented to a loved one. It was a fad from c.1790 – 1820. The idea behind the jewellery was the eye would be recognisable only to the recipient and could therefore be worn publicly keeping the lover’s identity a secret.

Lovers eye jewellery eventually morphed into tear jewellery, instead of the eye being that of a secret lover, the eye became that of a recently departed loved one. The pieces were often adorned with diamonds, pearls and other gemstones to represent tears. Sometimes the painted eyes would be looking downward to signify mourning.

The heart is cut from copper and has numerous layers of enamel glass that is kiln fired at 800 degrees celsius. The eye is painted and fired several times to give a glossy finish. The setting is made from sterling silver and comes with a 45cm /18″ sterling chain, the gemstone is onyx.

The pendant measures approx 40mm (1 1/2″) high from the top of the heart to the bottom of the onyx gemstone and 28mm (1″) wide.