Vintage 1993 Spinner Fob Locket with Bloodstone and Carnelian

This is one of those pieces that rewards a second look, and then a third. At first glance it reads as a substantial, beautifully made gold pendant with a deep green bloodstone cabochon set into a lovely open wirework frame, the kind of fluid, looping gold construction that sits somewhere between Victorian and Art Nouveau in feeling. And then you notice the hinge, and you spin it, and there on the reverse is a rich, warm carnelian.

And then you notice it opens.

Spinner fobs are not uncommon. Spinner fobs that open are a different thing entirely, and finding one is a small thrill. The carnelian side hinges back to reveal a little cavity, the kind the Victorians used for a lock of hair, a miniature portrait, a note folded very small. What you put in yours is your own business, but the fact that the option exists makes this so much more than a pendant.

For anyone who loves to fidget with their jewellery, this is the piece. Spin it to the bloodstone, spin it back to the carnelian, open it, close it. Your fingers will never be bored.

Both stones carry real symbolic weight in the Victorian tradition. Bloodstone, that deep forest green scattered with vivid red flecks, was considered a stone of courage and protection, worn by soldiers and travellers and anyone who needed to keep their nerve. Carnelian, warm and lustrous on the reverse, was a stone of energy and confidence, beloved by the Victorians for signet rings and seals, thought to sharpen the mind and steady the hand. To wear both at once, and to choose between them depending on what the day demands, feels like a very deliberate and rather wonderful idea.

The gold wirework frame has real craft to it, those looping arcs giving the piece a lightness that the substantial stones would otherwise resist. Dated 1993, which makes this vintage rather than antique, but the aesthetic is entirely in conversation with the Victorian fobs and seals that inspired it. All the visual drama, with the condition and wearability that comes with a much more recent make.