AUSTRALIAN ANTIQUE VICTORIAN WILLIS & Co NEPHRITE JADE & SEED PEARL PENDANT

A gorgeous large heart shape Nephrite Jade set to the centre with a crescent moon and star motif with flush set Natural Seed Pearls to a stunning etched mount to a scroll work top housing a round bale, so celestial and dreamy!

Beautifully handcrafted c1888 by Willis and co of Melbourne on 9ct Yellow Gold and stamped to the back ‘9 W’ this pendant is so lovely to wear and comes in remarkable Antique condition, with minimal signs of wear.

*Chain is for display only

The Details:

Stones: 6 x Natural Seed Pearls

Length:  35 x 39mm

Metal:  9ct Yellow Gold

Hallmarks:  9 W to the back of the pendant

Weight:  10.7 grams

Condition:  In excellent condition the Seed Pearls are unabraded and securely set very little signs of wear

About the Maker:

History of Willis & Co (Abridged) from ‘Australiana’ – The Journal of Australian Society.

When Richard and Thomas Willis established their jewellery business in Melbourne, in 1858, as importers and wholesalers scarcely could they have imagined that some fifty years later their successors, Willis and Sons, would have become one of the leading manufacturers of gold jewellery in Australia.

Yet the pattern of development of this family business was not dissimilar to that of other merchants who sensed the opportunities that were to flow from the discovery of gold in the Australian colonies in 1851. By 1868, R. & T. Willis were listed in the Melbourne directory as manufacturing jewellers as well as importers.

In 1876 the firm became T Willis & Co, under the control of Thomas and V.J. Willis. Willis & Co continued to trade as wholesale jewellers and importers of watches, clocks, silver and electroplated wares.

It would seem that Willis & Co were engaged in all aspects of the jewellery trade other than retailing. The firm maintained a presence in London, and later in Birmingham — presumably to assist in their importing activities. In Australia, branches had been opened in Sydney and Perth.

With the coming of Federation in 1901, the newly founded Commonwealth government was to impose customs duties on many imported goods, including jewellery — apparently at levels sufficient to encourage, and no doubt protect, local manufacturers. Increasingly wholesale jewellery firms turned to manufacturing, not least among these was T Willis & Co.

In 1904 Willis & Co was incorporated as Willis and Sons Pty Ltd. Willis and Sons was to become the prime manufacturer of gold jewellery in Australia through the 1910s and 1920s. By 1908 they had constructed new premises - manufactory and warehouse, at 350-356 Little Collins Street, Melbourne.  A vast array of jewellery was produced in 9, 15 and 18 carat gold, and in silver, until the closure of their manufactory in 1931, in the midst of the Great Depression, when the company reverted to importing.