Featured Today's Finds

Here are some of today's finds. Are the circle pendant and the watch fob pendant Victorian or Edwardian? The cut-steel brooch unfortunately has a broken pin, but it has a C-hinge and T-bar. Any thoughts on who the woman on it could be? The pocket shrine is made of metal with a tiny gilded statue of, I think, Mary inside.
The plastic beaded necklace really has me confounded. It's long enough to be a flapper necklace, and the beads are black with a moonshine blue glow. I assume it's lucite, but I'm not sure. Too light to be glass.

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I love the dark green beads

 

Thanks, me too

 

It's a pocket shrine to a particular Virgin manifestation, but I've forgotten which one. Brooch is a mourning commemorative for some queen or other - Alexandra? I think? Fob looks Deco if anything.

 

Thank you.

I'll search for the queen.

Yeah, the geometrical lines threw me off. I've only ever seen these kinds of lockets described as Victorian or Edwardian, so I wasn't sure.

 

The woman is Alexandra, Empress of Russia.

Debora

 

I knew it was an Alexandra, couldn't remember which one. All those European royals look the same.

People still worse pocket watches in the 20s and 30s, so a Deco fob is feasible.

 

If she died in 1918, do you think that's just around the right time for this kind of brooch?

 

No, she was murdered. Her death would not have been commemorated in that way at that time. I would think brooch contemporary with photograph above which was a wedding portrait. 1894.

Debora

 

Fob is Art Deco.

Debora

 

I'd have expected a wedding commemorative to be a coloured or clear stone, rather than that rather funereal cut steel though.

 

I like the fob, is it an opal in the middle, also I suppose you have checked for any gold marks on it?

 

Thanks! It's an opal. There's enough wear around the edges that I'm pretty sure it's gold filled.

 

Cut steel, to the best of my knowledge, is not associated with death. I believe it was used in jewelry as an inexpensive alternative to gemstones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut_steel_jewellery

And it would have been dangerous indeed to wear jewelry commemorating Tsarina Alexandra or any other member of the Imperial family -- all seven of whom were murdered together -- during the Russian Revolution.

Debora

 

The Virgin & Child immediately reminded me of the Infant of Prague. Think it is from the Slavic part of the world too.



Seller says this is Russian:
https://www.rubylane.com/item/1310635-A190100-5/Framed-Russian-Madonna-Child-Print

 

Ah, but I don't think the brooch is Russian. I think it's French, possibly. Outside Russia there was considerable mourning for the Tsar and family. Especially here, given how related they were to our royals. Many White Russians escaped to France, so it might have been made for that market.

 

The cube-shaped beads with aqua areas in the first image are Czech, made anytime between mid-20th century and today. If memory serves, that style of necklace started becoming popular in the mid to late-1990s.

 

I forgot to mention, the statue has Germany on the bottom of it.

 

Yes, that is helpful to know.

This does not match my idea of cut steel & a photo of the back would be of interest. You are sure the beads are not jet?

Quite a haul. Think pieces like the one with the cube shaped beads are called illusion necklaces, because the beads seem to be floating there when worn against something that makes the monofilament disappear.

 

Sure. Here's the back of the brooch. I'm not sure if they're jet; I don't think they are, because they look metallic and feel cold.

Thanks!