Featured 18k yellow gold Flamingo enameled pin with diamonds

This little guy is nicely done - approx. fifty-four round brilliant cut diamonds, the basse taille enamel work is awesome. I believe the eyes are probably ruby but they are too small for my tester. Not stamped for gold purity although the illegible worn marks might be the purity marks but tested strongly at 18k. My question is the mark. It is very small on the stick pin and is a R in a rectangle. SO difficult to photograph. I am not great with jewelry but does this type of closure indicate age? I haven't seen it very often. We have tried to list several times for sale but I feel like I am missing something.
Thanks for looking!

 

He is beautiful, Laura. I have seen him before, but of course I can't remember who, what, where...

 

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/en-...-yellow-gold-flamingo-brooch-pin-w54-diamonds

 

Yes - that is the one I am talking about. Trying to figure out why it is not selling or if I can ID the designer.

 

@laura9797 , I went and looked at that lovely pin, looks like there ARE markings on it, but from the images shown, JUST not quite clear enough to identify much....I DID enlarge 2X and try to sharpen, but I don't think much is readable, IF indeed it IS even in English....results below....sorry, don't think it's much help....





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The push pin or trombone closures started at the very end of the 19th century, more commonly seen in the early 20th century up to WW2. Often found on European and Czech brooches.

Brooches are quite difficult to sell, they are out of fashion, few people wear them, and people looking to invest in jewellery generally go for larger gems, tiny diamonds do not have a great deal of value on their own. So the price has to be right.

If it were by an identifiable designer who is sought after that would make a big difference. Another issue I spot is the colour, people expect flamingos to be pink and white, not yellow.

The estimate price on the LA website is very high for what it is, in the UK there would be no way to make a profit on that unless you are a high end boutique in the right part of London or Manchester. So selling it also depends on your customer base.

 

The trombone clasp is a mid-19th century invention. It was still widely used on quality brooches in Continental Europe in the 1970s. Maybe it is still used in some places, I am not up to speed with modern jewellery.

I don't think the colour matters, except to people who don't like yellow. This kind of quirky jewellery is worn by flamboyant people anyway.

 

Trombones are still used in Spain, for example. Also Turkey.

That bird screams and shouts sixties to me.

As to brooches not being popular, have a look at the range of vintage costume ones curated by Susan Caplan for John Lewis. I saw some a few days back in one of their department stores. Three figures.

If you go by this, I'm a billionaire: https://susancaplan.co.uk/collections/brooches

 

Maybe it is what we see in the UK market, but I would be interested if you have sources/examples for this as it may be helpful in evaluating items in future. I can't recall having come across any so early, or any high quality pieces with this type of closure post 1950's

 

I have. I've old micro mosaic with trombones, and have owned pique work with them, too. And I've seen modern pieces sur le continent with trombones.

 

I have a brooch that also has a vertically mounted pin with a trombone clasp. The marks on it are French & based on style, age is art deco period.

 

And for '70s brooches with trombone clasps, look for German jewellery.

 

But that's an edge case with the designers name behind it - and the items offered for sale are also by a known brand/designer, and it's a house of straws...






I don't believe for a minute JL are making any money out of this, it's a marketing/social media points/positioning/loss leader. Major stores do all kinds of things to curate their look and position themselves. The amount of work a retailer like JL to have to do to put something on their site would cost way more than they get back from the sale of a single item, they will be losing a lot of money on every item sold unless they are selling 100's of each one, the average return rate on jewellery is about 10% too.

It doesn't seem to have done much to raise the market either if you look what you can buy them for on ebay/etsy etc.

Vintage jewellery is one of our main lines, brooches are a tough sell, especially at higher price points unless they have features the market wants. We can often sell the right named and period silver brooch for more than a anonymous gold and gemstone one despite gold being 75x as valuable as a metal.

 

Ok, I'm not trying to be awkward, I am genuinely interested if trombone clasps can be earlier, as I've not got any sources which show it can be correct. I've looked through my sources again and also online and not come across anything earlier than late 19th, here's a few of the online references:

https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Dating-brooch-fasteners - says 1890's

https://www.acsilver.co.uk/acsnews/2021/03/07/dating-jewellery-by-clasp-fastenings/ - AC Silver are a top notch outfit, they say late 19th

https://findanyanswer.com/when-was-the-trombone-clasp-invented - this is an extract from Spruce I think, it does go later, but not earlier.

 

It is in my books and in my own files so I had to search online. I don't have much time, but here is one, scroll down the page a bit:

"TROMBONE catch patented circa 1850 and often used by European jewelry makers."
https://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/articles/reference-information/jewelry-findings/

I am sure the others can find more.

 

Caplan has a major physical presence in several high end department stores, not just JL. And the JL branch I was in had an entire large display of vintage costume from assorted curators. People were buying, too.

 

Now they also use a trombone. An example of a Mousson atelier.
https://www.widenshop.com/listing/1...ire-diamond-flamingo-brooch-brs0170-1-3/25872

 

Thanks for the extra details, it's one of those messy areas which seem so common to jewellery. So it looks like it's possible the trombone clasp was invented in the 1850's, and most sources suggest it wasn't commonly used until the 1890's and then fell out of favour in the mid 20th century (this is what we see as jewellery sellers). In addition it has continued in use sporadically since including by some designer brands including Tiffany which is interesting.

This means it not a great feature for dating without other evidence.

 

Sure, but that doesn't mean the stores are making money on the items, they are using it as branding to drive customers and raise profile, it's not going to be a profit center. Last time I dealt with supermarkets you needed three meetings just to change a few words on a label.

Also think about sourcing, if that dolphin brooch was a good selling line for them why are there any left on the online sales platforms?

Imagine also buying one of those in store then coming home a looking for it online - ouch!

 

Several of us here are, or were, jewellery sellers. I sold jewellery until a few years ago, and what you describe is not my experience. We sold designer, antique and vintage jewellery both locally (Continental Europe) and on international platforms.
I have also a been a jewellery collector for over 40 yrs.

There was indeed a dip in the interest in brooches. But 'the brooch' has been making a comeback recently, thanks in part to people like Madeline Albright, and overhere former EU politician and 'over-50s fashion icon' Neelie Kroes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/style/lady-gaga-brooch-brooches-pins-gucci-schiaparelli.html

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/jewelry-and-watches/a36421765/brooches-jewelry-trend-2021/

https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/fashion/brooches-are-back-gucci-a3788896.html

https://www.invaluable.com/blog/how-to-wear-a-brooch/

Madeleine Albright and Neelie Kroes. Both women use brooches to express themselves.




Detail with Neelie's question mark brooch, which signified that it was uncertain if she would remain EU commissioner: