Featured Help identifying silver brooch

I can make out a couple of the marks, looks like a Z and an eagle, the next two are hard to make out.

Any help with maker, origin and/or age would be appreciated

 

Just from the design, it looks Scottish. The stone would be a cairngorm (or imitation of that).

 

Scottish was my first thought too...never heard of that stone, this stone has lots of inclusions.

Possibly this is a kilt pin, digging in that direction

 

Cairngorm is a variety of smokey quartz specific to the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland. It's the national gem.

 

Looks like a thistle pin, still not sure of age or value

https://www.fionakennyantiques.com/...-Sterling-Silver-Thistle-Pin-Amber-Stone-1964

 

I did find the Z hallmark thanks to your Scottish clue, possibly JOHN ZEIGLER, 1st quarter 19th century. Hopefully correct, much older than I thought

 

Could the 2nd mark be the makers mark? Here's a pic, maybe Robert Keay

I'm pretty confident the eagle is town mark for PERTH

 

I think your maker's mark is that partial R (other letters missing entirely) on the right. The Z is a date mark. Scottish cairngorm, or wannabe, brooch for sure.

 

I would guess that if it has inclusions, as opposed to bubbles, it could be smokey quartz.

 

This is a Glasgow hallmark with the date letter Z for 1948. Note that it is upside down in the picture and that the Glasgow town mark and lion rampant are not very well defined. Although the maker's mark is rubbed it is almost certainly RA for Robert Allison.

 

That solves it for sure! Thank you muchly. Not a bad estate sale find for $15

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @silvermakersmarks .

 

Very pretty, and I agree, a Cairngorm, which is the name of a number of golden yellow-brown quartz stones from the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland.
Not a kilt pin, those are long. I am not American so I don't know the size of your brooch, but it looks like a small version of a plaid brooch, so purely decorative. The full size ones are used to hold a plaid in place, at shoulder level.

Just a general note:
Since we are an international forum it would help if you mention the measurements of items, instead of using local coins as a reference. Or use something everyone recognizes, like a paperclip for instance.

 

Yup, nice mini plaid brooch as aj says.

The number of arguments I've had with people on Facebook who INSIST these are kilt pins.....!

However, I think this is not 1948. The back is all wrong for 1948. Which means it won't be Robert Allison. He used "modern" rollover clasps and hinges, not tube hinges and C clasps. The date letter and cartouche look right for Birmingham 1899 and that would gel with the back.

 

Sorry, Ownedbybear, this is definitely Glasgow 1948. The part of the hallmark next to the date letter is a thistle. And Robert Allison's is the only mark which fits.

Perhaps a direct comparison of this mark with the relevant Glasgow and Birmingham marks would help:

Hallmarks by silvermakersmarks posted Feb 24, 2022 at 3:44 PM

Note only 3 components for Birmingham, sideways anchor and different style of letter.

 

This is not a 1940s brooch: look at the back. Not to mention the extreme wear.

It isn't unusual at all for hallmark elements to have varying orientations: the anchor is often upright.

I own some Allison brooches. "Modern" clasps, all.

.

 

I know nothing about jewellery styles but I do know hallmarks. This is not Birmingham 1899. Could the clasp be an unsympathetic repair?

 

Eh, packed away, but I have a number of mid 20th century 'Iona-style' Viking ship brooches, the majority have C-clasps...


https://www.ebay.com/itm/325061261756?hash=item4baf2939bc:g:wlEAAOSwUs5hXFtb



https://www.ebay.com/itm/255385787508?hash=item3b762ddc74:g:q~8AAOSwcmFg1fQ3



https://www.ebay.com/itm/125101530285?hash=item1d20a1dcad:g:LTcAAOSwsnpe18bx



https://www.ebay.com/itm/313879521515?hash=item4914ad68eb:g:9-MAAOSwNclheVft



~Cheryl (quietly backing back out)

 

Well, I was already decided (1948) but love a good debate! Thanks for everyone's input

 

It's feasible that old backs are copied, I've seen that. None of my Allison pieces have old style backs.