An unusual gold, enamel and pearl mourning pendant, America, late 19th century, designed as a cross,

An unusual gold, enamel and pearl mourning pendant, America, late 19th century, designed as a cross, centring on a concentric arrangement of black enamels and half pearls, the arms and smaller rays of the cross intricately engraved with floral motifs, to a similar bail, the reverse inscribed with the names 'CH.AUG.APTHORPE VAN DEN HEUVEL' and 'W.W.ASTOR', and dated 1795-1888, the reverse with an empty glazed compartment intended for a lock of hair, length 8.1cm, case

While the precise significance of the dates on this pendant remains unclear, the names on this pendant likely refer to two members of New York's most prominent land owning dynasties - Charlotte Augusta Van den Heuvel (née Apthorpe, 1770-1824) and William Waldorf Astor (1848-1919).