Antique French brooch, a mandoline (or domra)
An exquisite depiction of a Russian mandoline or domra brooch, rendered in a combination of 14K red gold and silver, featuring diamond, ruby, and pearl details as well as enamel inlay ornamentation. The body of the mandoline and the ribbon attached are executed in silver, set with a row of diamonds as are the soundhole and the decorations under the bridge. The top and bottom bridges are decorated with cabochon ruby bridgepins. Next to the chords on the body, two seed pearls and two blue enamel inlay details are added. This antique jewel bears pre-revolution Russian hallmarks for 14K gold. Hallmarked in Transcaucasia, known because of the letter 'O' in the hallmark, this hallmark was used between 1908 and the Russian Revolution in 1917. Furthermore, we found a French control mark that indicates that the piece has been imported into France... If this piece could only talk, what amazing story would we hear?
UPDATE: We have gained new insights regarding the origin of the brooch. The hallmark, an eagle's head, is a French stamp used for items made in France, as items made abroad and imported into France would have a different import stamp. Additionally, the location of the Russian stamp is not the typical place where jewellery manufactured in Russia would be hallmarked by the Russian assay office. All this leads us to revise our initial conclusion, and we now describe it as made in France and imported into Russia.