Large Heavy 19th Century Russian Malachite and Silver with Gold Vermeil Bracelet, French Import Mark

That little swan punch mark tells us this is a ‘second hand’ bracelet, assayed at some point in France (auction houses are required to do so and accurately mark the precious metal), and tells us it is at least .800/1000 pure silver and one can see that it has a thick layer of gold (I did not test, but French vermeil standard for that era is 18k), to give the rich look and feel of gold but not the much higher price. It is a typical way to make jewelry, even finest items, in 19th century. Malachite jewelry was a Grand Tour souvenir typically from Russia, or at least the semi-precious stone mined and cut there. My notes from purchase on this one place it in Napoleon III era (found in France) and the design and large stones fall well into that era (c.1850-70s, mid-Victorian). It is not perfect, but it is beautiful! Full measurements noted on photos – it will fit up to 7.5″ wrist and at widest, it is 1 3/4″. 

Good to very good condition for age and type. Nothing lost, but there are some tight hairlines on the large heavy malachite stones (visible on our photos, but less so in hand). Clasp working perfectly well, bracelet stays on just fine. I will point out that 7.5″ length is atypical for its age, and it is possible someone has extended the size by adding a 2nd row of small malachite beads next to the clasp insert to increase the size.  You are buying only the bracelet in this offering.