Retired James Avery 925 Sterling Silver Openwork Scroll Heart Charm Pendant

Sterling silver openwork scroll heart charm pendant by James Avery, pierced straight through so the design reads as line and shadow rather than surface. Curling scrolls fill the body of the heart and meet at a center point, with trefoil terminals capping each curve and a scrolled flourish extending below the base to give the silhouette its unusual shape. The pierced ground lets skin or clothing show through the charm, and the polished edges catch light against the softly finished flat faces. The reverse carries the AVERY and STER stamps, crisp and clearly struck.

James Avery has built its reputation on hand-finished silver with a strong graphic sensibility, and this heart is a good example of that approach. The scrollwork owes its language to Old World ironwork and architectural tracery, a motif the studio has returned to across decades, and the heart itself remains one of the most enduring symbols in jewelry design. This particular charm is retired and no longer in production, which is what draws collectors building out an Avery grouping.

The uncut loop means the charm is ready to hang on a chain as a pendant or be opened onto a charm bracelet, whichever the wearer prefers. It arrives in a James Avery box and pouch, ready to gift or to add straight to a collection.

DETAILS
Designer: James Avery
Metal: Sterling silver
Hallmarks: AVERY, STER
Style: Openwork scroll heart charm pendant
Status: Retired
Loop: Uncut
Includes: James Avery box and pouch
Condition: Excellent estate condition

FUN FACTS
James Avery began handcrafting jewelry in Kerrville, Texas in 1954, starting out in a two-car garage with a handful of tools.
Openwork — metal pierced clean through to create a pattern of solid and empty space — is one of the oldest decorative techniques in silversmithing, valued because it gives a small piece visual presence without adding weight.