Featured Another day, another brooch, another question

Hello all,

I recently picked up this Georgian style brooch online. I’m absolutely obsessed with the fire it possesses but I’m not very knowledgeable on this era. I wondered if you could help me decipher whether this really is Georgian, a Victorian era (G. revival) piece or a modern fake.

The few details I have are that piece is in silver with a gilt backing. All the diamonds are rose cut, with entirely closed backs. It’s 6.7g total weight and 1.5” long.

A lot of work seems to have been done to the back of the brooch. The back looks to me like it might have been en tremblant at some time, but somebody went crazy with solder and everything is fused. I’m also not convinced that the clasp is original.

 

Construction and pin and hinge look dead right for Georgian. I think you’re right about the clasp. It’s early twentieth.

I'd suspect this was a much larger more elaborate piece at one time.

 

And looking again, I’m wondering if it was once part of a hair ornament.

 

ya , there was more going on when it began it's life......

but still....very lovely !!!!

 

Oh very interesting,
I wonder what it was…

 

Do you think that hole in the middle of the stem could’ve involved a hair clip? Hmm interesting.zz

 

It's definitely old and had more than one life. I think it's been repurposed and repaired more than once. Bear knows more about Georgian jewelry than I'll ever learn, I'll go with hair clip too. Ladies had such ornaments .

 

I ‘ve been obsessed with Georgian silver and diamond pieces these days and yours is so pretty! Don’t think it’s reproduction based on the quality of diamonds and gold backing. Btw I won’t call it gilt as the gold in yours is visibly thicker(so you have a solid sheet of gold here) in contrast to some other pieces thinly plated, which makes it more precious! just my personal preference, not sure if there’s any standard term

 

here are some...

 

Fair, thanks! There’s so little of it showing/left I wasn’t sure what to call it!

 

It’s essentially rolled gold, which is a mechanical process as opposed to plating, which is electrolysis.

I saw that hole, it’s one of the things that made me think hair.

 

Amazing find!
Its 19th century, Old Flemish. Silver with gold overlay background, rose cut diamonds set on foil...I have its sister

 

Gorgeous, and I'm with Dessert, 19th century. Flemish makes sense, it is more 'dense'. The Dutch made related pieces, but they look more delicate.
Always love rose cut diamonds, and these look to be good quality.

Ditto. It is proper gold and proper silver, no gilding, plating, or other doublé-like technique, but made using two metals alongside each other. Silver was used to emphasize the white colour of the diamonds.

 

I’d have never guessed Flemish. It’s very like some of our metamorphic Georgian stuff. Lovely thing, anyhow.

 

Oh to find its cousin in a rummage/jumble sale, where nobody knew what it was!

 

Oh sweet, thanks @Dessert58
Did yours also used to be en tremblant? Cause mine most certainly was. And unfortunately somebody went through and soldered it all static.

 

A-la sevigne: mine unfortunately ist an en tremblant. I m still looking for one of those. I think mine was part of a bigger jewel at some point in time.
Yours looks like it used to be multi purpose. Like something could be screwed in to put a haircomb in and the brooch-part was detachable.