Featured Flemish Croix a la Jeanette

This lovely came to join the collection this week.
It came from France but its a Croix a la Jeanette from Flanders (ok technically we were part of France till 1830, there is even still a French Flanders in France now, bur lets not dive into that).
Its 19th century, silver with gold detail, no marks.
The small senailles (roughly cut diamond chips) are set in a collet setting with a silver foil behind them. All foliage and leaves decorations were hand cut out of a silver sheet.
There are three parts that can move independently from each other, but you can also find them with more parts or less parts.
The parts also often got separated over the years and you can find them nowadays as single piece brooches or pendants.
I have heard other names for them, but here in Flanders we have called them Croix a la Jeanette since at least the first part of the 20th century but probably since their origins.
Originally it would have had two loops at the back to put a lace or chain trough, but this one was converted into a brooch at some point.
So till I get a brooch converter or have it changed, I used Kyratango s previous advice to slide a small chain through it and wear it like that.
In the last picture you can see my other Croix a la Jeanette's.
My favorite jewelry is always my latest acquisition.
So, what do you think of them/it?

 

Gorgeous, of course!

 

Wasn't it French until 1815, Dutch until 1830?
I know, Spanish, Austrian, French, back and forth between Austria and France, Dutch, Belgian, all in the space of a few centuries, how can you keep up?
The best solution is to make beautiful jewellery.

 

Superb! It is fascinating, when seeing your grouping, that even if very similar at first glance they all differ in details!
Keep up the good hunting job!!!

 

Any Jewelry and Kyratango, thanks for the love.
Any Jewelry, you are right...the Dutch were the last ones in charge before we became independent. I totally forgot about them
Kyatango, indeed, they look the same but they have all different details. I love all their differences.
I m not sure what my next 'to die for' piece will be but I m sure something will come along.

 

What's 15 years, éh. And those Dutch.....

So am I.

 

Maybe it was converted because the pendant bail broke and someone made it a pin since they had to fix it anyway. Could be a 100+ year-old repair. The pin clasp on the back has been in use since the 1850s and the hinge is even older. I'm told some Swedes kept using that traditional hinge on some pieces well into the 1960s, and we never know what some crazy silversmith (and most of 'em are crazy) will do next, so....

 

Beautiful! I enjoy seeing your finds, Dessert. Very unlikely this kind of piece would turn up where I live (US) but if it does, I'll be ready!!!

 

Evelyb yes indeed, it probably broke and they made it in a brooch anyway.
Its an old repair, but it is well made and nicely done, so I might keep it as is.
People often used what they had laying around, nowadays we are used to just buy new when something breaks.

 

Lucille, thank you very much. You never know.
Things turn up in the weirdest places

 

I've found oddments here before; Great-great grandma brought it with her when the family emigrated, and the great-grandkinds forgot what it was or why anyone would want it. The next generation cleaned out Dad's/Mom's stuff and into the rummage sale it went.