Featured Georgian (?) BLING

I had a very successful vide grenier hunt today! Nothing for resale, but lots that I'm happy to have in my collection. After my little pin turning out to be black dot I've been on the hunt for similar unassuming pieces and found quite a few today, this time with all their stones in!

I'm really excited about two of these pieces

First up this pretty pretty brooch that I got for 1 euro. The more I look at it the more I'm mesmerized by its quality. Its also different from the others because it doesn't have the claw/prong setting. It very unfortunately is missing its clasp, so until I can lovingly repair it at some point it will stay off of my clothes. Similar pieces on 1stDibs were dated to circa 1820s.
I tried researching it, but I can't find anything about paste with multiple black dots, is there any significance to this? Is this possibly silver?




Next, this one is similar to my first brooch I posted sometime in July, like that one this was also 1 euro, but its got all its parts! Can the claw setting help date this?
What intrigues me is the hinge. To me it looks most like a machine made hinge than a tube/earlier mechanism. The pin is quite loose on its hinge. Is this a later repair? But then the pin is long which is right for the period...
I'd like to put this at early Victorian/mid 19th, is this correct?

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And finally, I'm hoping this is what I think it is. I recently watched someone dig up an old 18th century shoe buckle online, and this looked very similar with the three prongs. The seller said it was a belt buckle, but to me it looks more like one for a shoe. Earlier in the day it looked like black dot, but now I only see a few. Its quite large at about 3 inches long. The French stopped wearing them around 1790.


I got two other little nicities that I'll post tomorrow, but total spent today was 9 euros so I'm one happy camper ​

 

All very interesting finds. I especially like the 1st one.I think that last was more of a sash buckle.

 

First looks dead right for Georgian black dot to my eye. The back, the look and cut of the stones. Second is later. I think late nineteenth into early twentieth. And yes, that’s a sash buckle, again late nineteenth or so.

 

Oh, the first cluster brooch is amazing!
It would fit right into my collection
I also think it might be silver. Do I see a glimpse of a gold finish on the back or is it just the light?

 

Rachel, indeed you are very lucky to have found these pieces, and for such negligible price. Congratulations for the finds!
I would also gladly have them, unfortunately there is no chance for me here. So I sincerely enjoy your finds, it broadens my knowledge, I heard here for the first time about black dot paste jewelry, here in my country at that time there was a very different type of jewelry.
And besides, it is a real pleasure for my eyes to look at them

 

I'm with the others, and that's a gorgeous find.

When looking at shoe v. belt buckles, you have to consider how it would 'sit' on top of the shoe.
Shoe buckles are often curved to follow the shape of the foot. If they are flat they are usually smaller than yours.
There are bigger ones, but they are wide rather than long.

 

Bulgaria had stunning jewellery, with a lot of beautifully intricate Balkan filigree, but today's prices are extremely high.
Understandable, it is quality, but a bit frustrating for collectors on a tight budget.

 

Black dot paste jewelry kept being mentioned on this site and although I sort of figured it out , i had to google it. I came across this article that was very informative and addressed how to spot fakes. Now I have to go through the ton of paste I have and check them out. https://gemgossip.com/how-to-identify-genuine-georgian-jewelry-part-1/

 

Ooh! I'll take the first one, please!
A very fine Georgian pastes piece, certainly in silver.
I fix my brooches which lack the C clasp and cannot bear soldering (which I'm not good at) with an open ring thick and large enough. I "coil" it as a cobra standing on its tail, try to have it laying around the remnant of the broken clasp in order to get a sufficient contact with the mount, put a tiny drop of superglue, then (once fully dried) secure it with a blob of UV curing resin.
The pieces I repaired such need a pair of pliers to remove the new C

 

I just ordered some UV resin. Thanks Kyra. Have some jewelry that needs fixing.

 

Absolutely agree. I am too late on this market and cannot afford these prices now. Now I try to have what I can from the socialist period, which is undervalued now. Mostly USSR amber and Czech glass.

 

"Georgian Bling"? Couldn't open this thread fast enough!

Anything you got here for 1 Euro was a great find! I agree, that first one sure looks like it's silver from the back.

 

Thank you everyone for the love towards the cluster brooch (thank you for the term Dessert!), its quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces in my collection, I just can't stop looking at it.

That's the evening sun playing tricks I think, it looks copper in all other lights. My guess is a copper and silver combo?

@kyratango thank you very much for the confirmation on the silver (and Dessert and Lucille )! I'm chuffed, and continue to be stunned by the craftmanship. Also thank you for your guidance on fixing it! Very kind to share your expertise. Is that your recent bug brooch I see in the photos?

@Lucille.b @IvaPan I'm starting to think that my little rural area is more of a treasure trove than I once thought. These little brooches continue to be overlooked by dealers and buyers alike, me included! I can't imagine what sort of glassware is hidden away out here. I was very willing to splurge (read 25/30 euros) on a large and very beautiful antique handpainted blue and white vase, unmarked, but obviously quality. Many of the dealers have ceramics for under 70, but this one know what he had, price was 400. My only consolation was that I was right when I thought it was something special!

 

Yes I've been using this one a lot recently! Very insightful.

 

Oh yes of course, that makes sense. I don't tend to think of these things so its good I bring them here haha! Thank you!

 

Thank you obb! For education's sake, what makes the second late 19/20th compared to the one in this thread? To me they look quite the same so I thought this would date to around the same time. The only difference I see is perhaps the one linked below has a more substantial setting?
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/victorian-rhinestone-paste-brooch-also-gross.79321/

Thanks so much for the dates, I always love that. Are either of the last two black dot? I think I see them clearly in the brooch, but the sash not so much. If the brooch is later, then was black dot still a thing? I thought it finished up in the 1850s ish. I wouldn't know though!

 

The cluster brooch is staying firmly in my grubby paws, but I'm always curious as to the value of these things. I know we don't do values here, but I'm getting two very different reports. I know its very collectable, but 1stDibs has pieces in the 1000s and then ebay's recent sold items don't break 100. That's a rather wide margin I'm not looking for a specific value on this brooch, since I won't be selling, but what is georgian jewelry going for these days?

Is 1stDibs a site to be trusted, or is it another RubyLane?

 

I have never sold one of my Georgian pieces, so I m not the one to tell you anything about value.
I never payed 100€ for a Georgian piece myself, but I can imagine a beautiful piece with the right description sold on the right place would make a couple of 100s. Dont know about 1000s though, maybe I m richer than I thought

The coppery look on the back could be whats left of gold plate. It can look coppery because its just plated and the silver underneath shines trough.
They used gold for the backs in these days, because it protected clothing against (black) tarnish of the silver.

 

Thanks for the thanks!
This cicada is a former one of my collection
Here is the latest one with same repair method