Featured Brooch of mystery

Hello! I have taken a recent interest in old brooches, and to some degree also pendants, but somewhere along the way I believe I picked up more than I could work with....so I could use some helpful hints and tips.

First up is this brooch:



My guess is that the turoises are real, and that it's tiny little rubies in those sockets, but I would really like to narrow down the country and time of origin a bit. I think its brass (nothing expensive at least).
Thankful for any advice. This one has been bugging me a lot!

 

Please post a picture of the back and a closeup of any marks found.
The type of pin back will help in determining age.

 

No marks found at all, here is the pin back and a clearer front photo:

 

The C clasp is an earlier type closure.
I'm not a jewelry guru, but you might investigate jewelry from the 1880s - early 1900s.
I agree Turquoise and probably ruby. Possibly Persian or made to look like it.
Most likely 10K - not all antique jewelry was marked with gold content.

Personally, I hate acid testing as it often is done in a way that scares the jewelry.
Wait for those more knowledgeable

 

Have you washed it yet? Mild soapy water, rinse thoroughly.

Along the top edge is that wear through the metal or just tarnish?
If wear, then not 10K - but gold plated and maybe a little later around 1900- 1910.

 

From what I can tell of the clasp, it looks like very early 20th century... but wait for other opinions.

 

Welcome!

 

I'd guess circa 1890 and it looks like a really old piece of gold-filled "Etruscan Revival". The stones look like Persian turquoise and garnet. Some low karat pieces can fool you though. My first thought when I saw this was a company called Florenza; they used the same colors and similar finishes, but they're post-WWII costume.

 

I would think those crimped settings offer a clue, but I don't know of what.

 

It's made to look like something that would have existed in Rome or ancient Persia, or something along those lines. The crimped settings are just part of the design.

 

It kind of resembles the Austro-Hungarian brooches and pins I was looking at when trying to identify an item I had some time ago..... https://duckduckgo.com/?q=small+Austro+Hungarian+pins+and+brooches&t=ffsb&iax=1&ia=images very pretty!!

 

I'm in the late 19th camp too. Doubt it's gold, with that wear, no reason they can't be wee real ruby and turquoise cabochons.

 

That's another term I was trying to think of. It's got that whole Eastern Roman Empire/Orthodox/ Barbarian Gothic vibe going for it.

 

I know you meant it "scars" the jewelry, but I really like "scares" much better!!

 

LOL
Yes, I did mean "scars".
I noticed the misspelling last night - too late to correct it.