Featured Interesting brooch for your perusal

I think @Any Jewelry might like this.

Grabbed in a bundle yesterday. No hallmarks, but from the way it's cleaned up, I think silver. The hinge is marked Czechoslovakia, and I think it's between the wars. Can't decide if each of the little cups once had a stone, as the flowers certainly once did. The wee white beads look moonstone, can't decide on the green - they're a very deep colour, don't thnk glass. The back is just superb.

Austro Hungarian in style?

 

Beautiful -- I would even wear it "as is" -- with stones missing.

 

JMHO... costume I believe (needs testing to be sure), I've been fooled by costume metal cleaning up nicely just like silver. The white beads look like glass pearls with the coating rubbed off. Looks like the cups would have held rhinestones from their pointed backs and the flower centers need matching greed flat-back cabs like the one still there. Green stones look like glass to me, I can see what looks like deep scratches and pits on some of them, especially on the one at 7:00.

If it were silver and real stones I would expect the green stones to be mounted better but they look glued in.

I agree, the ornate back is lovely! Fixed up the whole thing would be a beauty

 

Luvverly!

I think 1930s(ish)

Yes!

Probably did.

I think faux pearls that have had a hard life. Doesn't matter, they are still decorative. If you zoom in, you can see the typical Czech faux pearl beadhole 'burrs' on some.

 

Very pretty.

 

Thanks aj!

I don't think the cups had pointed end stones, they're rounded - trick of the light. I've got one odd wee bead which came out of one of the flowers, and it's a half sphere. Who knows what they were.

Yes, I think it's entirely wearable as is. I can't get over how good that back is: a thing not meant to be seen.

 

Paying attention to the back is a traditional Austro-Hungarian Historic Revival thing, but this is an exceptionally nice back.

Below is the back of a period Austro-Hungarian silver and citrine brooch for comparison:



I think your brooch would have been popular with people like the Transylvanian Saxons, who loved their bling. They wore this style jewellery on festive occasions even at the time your brooch was made.
There are still members of Transylvanian Saxon folk groups in Germany who wear similar jewellery, they are descendants of ethnic German refugees from present day Romania.

 

AJ you have so much knowledge in this area, you should write a book.
So good to see you can help so many people.

 

Thank you pearls.

I guess my Antiquers replies are my book.

 

I've now got a Frank n'Furter earworm!

 

Then you'll need this to go with it:

 

Tim Curry! I met him once, in an airport check in queue, didn't even recognise him for ages. He was delightful.

I also saw Anthony Stewart Head play the role, twice, in London. Oh my. (fans self)