Featured Amber? Brooch I

I have recently purchased this brooch which was ticketed as 1900 silver plated with a faux carnelian cabochon. I believe it is pewter and egg yolk/butterscotch amber.
I believe it is half a bead as there appears to be a channel on the underside.
It has a trombone clasp and is, I think, in the arts and crafts or perhaps brutalist style.

e.
Thanks in advance

 

Have you got a UV torch? That would show it.

I suspect the amber is a replacement, I've seen these more often with something like amethyst.

 

Looks like someone cut a bead that doesn't fit well due to the hole through it.
Maybe if you burnish the bezel setting a lot, this would be less noticeable.

 

It is beautiful, Dory. And I agree, a half bead.

Stylewise related to Arts & Crafts, but possibly not British. I would say Continental northern Europe.
Could even be Dutch, google Amsterdam School brooch. They loved organic shapes, especially sea-related, and had a slight Javanese influence, like a short row of batik design details.

 

Thanks guys. Yes I did test it under ultra violet and while it did give the indication it was amber, it wasn't quite as obvious as the last amber brooch I tested that way. maybe because of the inner channel?

 

Thanks AJ, I think it's beautiful too - I bought it online and hummed and haa'd for a while due to the description and not being sure it was what I thought. By the time I decided to go ahead, it had nearly halved in price - so worth the wait!

 

It's only really noticeable when you get the angle right, which I did for the photo. When worn, you can't really see the hole. Thanks for the idea though.

 

It's a fun piece. I'd take a thumb to the metal and clean it up. That's all you need - that and soap and water for your thumb!

 

Certianly Arts and Crafts. I don't think we ever used trombone clasps here, so I'd go with across the Channel.

 

Thanks Evelyb30 - I'll give it a go.

 

Thanks I'll look into that

 

The inner channel shouldn't influence fluorescence. Fluorescence can differ and some amber doesn't fluoresce at all, although that is very rare.

What you could try is rub it vigorously, for instance on your leg, and after a minute or so hold it over some lint or dust, and see if it picks it up like a magnet.