Interesting Brooch Thailand

I found this cool brooch that has me stumped. For one the markings an 2 the design. What do you think? Any ideas ?

 

As for the design, without the marking, I would have thought it to be from Portugal.

You may have already seen this from a search on "Chiangmai Antique":

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/11/...-thailand-faking-art-is-an-art-in-itself.html

 

All I know is never believe anything that has 'antique' stamped on it.

 

Unless it's part of the brand name, and not always then.

 

That's why it's so strange I have never seen markings like that very odd. Oh and it is pretty big as far as brooch's go.

 

An the way it's stamped on there I did a search on it an the only thing I could find was a bowl that had the "Chiangmai Antique" on it.

 

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/dining-entertaining/bowls/burmese-silver-bowl/id-f_10485771/

 

Oh an the reason I thought Thailand because if you search without quotes a city called Chiang Mai come up and the way it's shaped does remind me of those pointy hat things they wear. LOL

 

I was wondering whether the other findings are so it can be used like a scarf ring. You could position it, then pin it as well to keep it from sliding.

The listing on 1st dibs is appalling! Well, the NYT article did say Chiangmai pieces were sometimes being treated by people you would expect to know better as if they were high end antiques. It seems to me they are frank reproductions, not intended to deceive, since they are so clearly marked.

 

I believe what they are talking about in the Article is the Region in general not so much pieces marked Chiangmai.
And I always loved those 1st dibs listings LOL they are so comical.
It also has a jump ring on it so I think it is used for multi purposes.
Oh well I guess it's going to another one of the mystery pieces.

 

Yes I believe this too, I think I also read there is a city named "Chiangmai" but the fact is, this could be a simple reproduction of a Portuguese piece.

The problem comes in, when common oriental artists in some countries are paid to make reproductions. The artists are proud of their work. Apparently this has been done for so long, it's a lifestyle and they never consider that it is theft.

This does not just happen in Thailand and in recent years has become increasingly more common. I find this practice to be unacceptable and fraudulent.

 

The city is the home of the Silver Temple, a likely connection. This was probably made as a souvenir of the city; from what I can find they have quite a silver industry there.

 

This is traditional Thai filigree, pretending to be antique. Maybe 'antique' is used as the name of the style.
The style is absolutely Thai, this model is often called stupa, after the Buddhist reliquary buildings. I am sure the Thai have a different name for it.
A lot of stupa jewellery dates from the 1940s and 50s, which doesn't mean this one does.
Maybe @AuDragon will be kind enough to ask his Thai wife if she can tell us more about it?

Filigree is made from the western tips of Europe and North Africa to the eastern tip of Asia. And in the Americas, especially those parts once colonized by Spain and Portugal.
There is a custom in the trade of calling all filigree jewellery Portuguese, which makes true identification very difficult. The Portuguese make beautiful filigree, some of the most beautiful in the world, but it is very different from this style.
This is traditional Portuguese filigree, a classic Viana heart, which is traditionally worn with the regional dress of northern Portugal:

 

It certainly is a very useful piece of jewellery, a brooch, a scarf ring, and a pendant. There is a little pendant ring, which gets a bit lost amid all the silver wire. It is clearly not meant to be worn in a cold climate under a coat.
These combination pieces are often mid century, which, again, doesn't mean this one is.

 

Hi DeAnne,
Chiang Mai is the largest city in the mountains of Northern Thailand and 3rd or 4th largest in Thailand. It is the second most popular tourist city behind Bangkok, and my favourite place in Thailand combining history, culture, national parks, great food and charming people. Founded in the 13th century it has a fascinating history and rich culture and many original temples and buildings remain from that period. The moat of the original fortified city also remains. There are several streets dedicated to the art of silverwork, and it is one of the popular (and valuable) gifts sought by visitors.

In the centre of Chiang Mai is a temple (Wat Sri Suphan) completely covered in silver and quite spectacular.

Traditional Thai clothing features loose garments but worn in layers and held together with belts, sashes and ties. Both men and women wear this type of traditional clothing which is often rich with gold and silver thread. The Northern Hilltribes use lots of silver in their head-dresses, necklaces and clothes.

Your brooch appears of good quality and the filigree of fine workmanship. The two buckles would allow the item to be used either as a chest brooch for the ladies (with the pin) or as a waist belt for the men (the clamp). You can see the way these are used in the images below.

I also attached an image of the much-adored previous King and Queen (now Queen Mother) to show royal uses for these types of brooches.

 

Thank you so much for all the information