Featured Help identifying Another Brooch

Hi
I have another brooch from my grandmother. Looks quite roughly made. No marks. Any thoughts on age? is it likely to be paste if it’s so rough?

 

Late 19th.

 

It could be anything. Those stones look like single-cuts, with a rose cut stone in the center (the point went up) It could be silver and diamonds. If I found that in a costume pile at a thrift I'd hustle it out the door, because even if it's glass it's still pretty darned old glass.

 

Thanks. Sounds like I need to find a trustworthy expert to take a closer look at these things to when the Covid lockdown ends in England. This is just one a quite a few items - lots of rings and stones that could be real or paste!

 

Oh, agreed, I'd have grabbed it too.

 

The photo is too bright and not in focus to see the stone cuts,maybe try to post a better photo.

 

Is this any better? The 1mb limit on pictures makes it difficult.

 

Silver and quite possibly old cut diamonds.

 

Thank you

 

Beautiful Nic, and pretty rare. It is a traditional brooch from either Java or Madura, Indonesia. 19th century, difficult to pinpoint a period, silver, and probably set with Martapura diamonds, also known as Borneo diamonds.
Brooches like this were used to fasten the kebaya, the blouse Indonesian women wear.

You would need an expert who knows Indonesian jewellery for this one.

My Javanese enameled gold and Martapura diamond earrings for comparison, apologies for the blurry photo:



(The central stone on the right is a replacement.)

 

I'd never have guessed Indonesia. @Any Jewelry - what's the features, please?

 

That's because you don't get much Indonesian bling in the UK.
I don't know if it was Nic who said his father worked in the Dutch East Indies for a while? Someone did.

You see the setting of the central stone, with those little ridges around the side? They look like an 18th century European crimped setting, but they are flattened towards the top, so just little bumps. Those are typical of Javanese and Madurese diamond jewellery.
Also the variety of settings, in Europe those would more likely to be uniform. In Indonesia there is the usual symbolism which dictates different settings. I can't remember the details though.

 

Hi - thanks so much - yes, my grandparents were in the Dutch East Indies in their youth.

 

Does anyone know any experts on Indonesian jewellery? I’m guessing I’m going to struggle to locate on in England.

 

London maybe, but I'm guessing the Euro ones will mostly be in the Netherlands.

 

Thank you kindly, aj! Duly noted.

The V&A might be a place to talk to. Possibly Tooveys - they're excellent on jewellery.

 

To my dit ils a Georgian era piece with later replacement brooch fittings.
Simple rose cut diamonds.

 

That was my initial thought. But then I looked closely at the way the crimping ends, and thought of floral Javanese, checked, and found similar Javanese pieces.

 

I sent the images to Tooveys and they responded:
The nature of the diamond setting suggests Continental manufacture. Late 18th/early 19th century certainly, most likely set in silver with gold backing and old rose cut diamonds. We cannot link it directly to Indonesia, however similar pieces (pendants/earrings) made around this time have been found to have Dutch hallmarks which may suggest this place of origin for your piece, though without it being marked we cannot say for certain.

 

Thanks for the update, Nic.