Two more family pieces--any info?

[glitterata]

First a bangle.

My aunt gave me this bangle back in the 80s, when I was in college, I assume because it was too small to fit her any more and I''m the family member with the smallest wrists.

It''s made of rose gold, set with pink stones and pearls. I can''t find any hallmarks, but it looks and feels like solid gold, not plated or anything like that. The pink stones are very pretty at a distance, but included and chipped close up. The pearls are similarly irregular. My guess is that the stones might be pink sapphires. Does that sound plausible? Any guesses on the era? 1940s or 50s retro, maybe? (My aunt was born in the early 1920s, widowed young, and remarried to a wealthy man in the 50s.) Any guesses as to where the bangle might have been made?

 

[glitterata]

Another shot.

 

[glitterata]

Close up.

 

[glitterata]

Last bangle photo.

 

[glitterata]

All right, now the brooch. My grandmother gave this to me. She told me it was costume jewelry, but I''m certain it''s solid gold, maybe 18k. It''s 1 3/4 inches wide. I can''t find a mark. I think it''s from the Art Nouveau period. I have no idea where or when she got it.

Anyone recognize the style, or maybe even the manufacturer?

 

[glitterata]

Back view. I believe there was a fold-down bale at the top, but it''s been snapped off or removed.

 

[glitterata]

And a side view, to show the complex construction.

The colored front is some sort of delicate enamel, by the way. It''s set with a pearl that has gotten crooked over the years.

I''m sorry it''s dirty. I''m afraid to try to clean it too much--I don''t want to damage the enamel any more than it already is.

 

[Miscka]

I don''t have any helpful info, but I have to say that bangle is STUNNING! So gorgeous

I hope someone who knows more comes along!

 

[Upgradable]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!! As usual!

I think the stones in the bangle look like rubies. Rubies and sapphires have the same chemical composition, so drawing a line between pink sapphire and ruby is rather like "I say tomato, you say tomato..."

 

[Catmom]

Oh glitterata, that bracelet is TDF. I love it!

No answers to any of your questions but the pink stones look like pink sapphires to me but it''s so hard to say from a photo. I do like the brooch as well. How wonderful that your grandmother gave these to you.

 

[glitterata]

Thanks, Mischka & Upgradable!

Rubies, sapphires--yes, same composition.

But I wonder whether these stones are corundum at all. Hm, what else might they be? I think I''m going to stick with the theory that they''re poorish quality rubies: light-colored, included, roughly cut, easily damaged. Maybe I''ll ask the colored stones board what they think.

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Michelle! Didn''t mean to leave you out--we were posting at the same time.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Wow, you are so fortunate to have beautiful old heirloom jewelry!

I''d say rubies, too, but I am wondering if they are real because of the severity of the chips. Ruby is pretty hard. However, I suppose a bangle could get some wear and tear if the person wasn''t super careful. That rose gold is just gorgeous, though! I will really be interested to see what you find out about these two pieces!

 

[glitterata]

Date: 1/22/2009 6:09:29 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Wow, you are so fortunate to have beautiful old heirloom jewelry!


I''d say rubies, too, but I am wondering if they are real because of the severity of the chips. Ruby is pretty hard. However, I suppose a bangle could get some wear and tear if the person wasn''t super careful. That rose gold is just gorgeous, though! I will really be interested to see what you find out about these two pieces!

Thank you, diamondseeker!

The consensus over on the gem forum thread seems to be that they''re probably sapphires/rubies. The chipping could be due to the inclusions, and I don''t see any scratching, so they''re probably a very hard stone.

I hope Jewelerman will show up and comment on the brooch. Or Sharon or Coati or Little Grey Kitten... I''m sure one of you kind & knowledgeable antique jewelry experts knows what it is and can tell me!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

They look like rubies to me, but I am by no means an expert.
Whatever they are, both pieces are beautiful and you are so lucky to have them!

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/22/2009 12:39:33 PM
Author:glitterata
First a bangle.

My aunt gave me this bangle back in the 80s, when I was in college, I assume because it was too small to fit her any more and I''m the family member with the smallest wrists.

It''s made of rose gold, set with pink stones and pearls. I can''t find any hallmarks, but it looks and feels like solid gold, not plated or anything like that. The pink stones are very pretty at a distance, but included and chipped close up. The pearls are similarly irregular. My guess is that the stones might be pink sapphires. Does that sound plausible? Any guesses on the era? 1940s or 50s retro, maybe? (My aunt was born in the early 1920s, widowed young, and remarried to a wealthy man in the 50s.) Any guesses as to where the bangle might have been made?

The bracelet is most likely indian(India)everything about the piece is eluding to a bangle made in India...the color gold,the full round bangle shape,the irregular pearls and the light colored rubies and the style of prong work....India was under British rule until 1947(?...dont quote me on the date)and Indian inspired jewels were the rage by high end jewelers such a Cartier and Tiffany in the early teens, 30s, 40s and 50s...i personally think the bangle is early teens or 50s because of the pink and white combo and bangles were very pupular for dinner jewelry in the late 40s-early50s...but this style has been around for hundreds of years.Now for the wonderful pin!....Its hand enameled and hand made...at first glance i would have said early 20th century,but ive never seen the style of thisle on these type of flower pin...they look very retro and modern to me rather then romantic...but it could be the naturalist influence that artists strived for at the late 19th/early 20th century...so i will go with early 20th rather then mid 20th century on this little treasure of a pin!

 

[glitterata]

Yay Jewelerman! I knew you''d come through for me!

Indian! I had no idea, but that makes a lot of sense now that I look at it. I''ve been wracking my brains trying to think why my aunt would have a bracelet from India, and then I remembered that my grandmother took a trip to India and brought my mother back a beautiful sari that I wore for Halloween one year. (Our family has no particular connection to India--Grandma just loved to travel.) I bet she brought my aunt that bracelet.

I assumed the flower brooch must be early because of the length of the pin and the shape of the hinge and the c-clasp. No? Would you say teens? 1900s? I also assume it''s early because the other jewelry my grandmother gave me at the same time was from the art nouveau period--a classic nouveau-style locket (I''ll try to post a picture of it) and a bracelet with little seed pearls that she said were the first presents my grandfather gave her. They married in 1921, so I think those items must have been from the teens at latest.

The center of the brooch is made of two gold pieces with the gold stamens coming out of them. Is that what you meant by "thisle"? They rotate, and if you look carefully you''ll see that they''ve scratched the enamel a little. The stamens bend easily, so it''s possible that they were more regularly ordered originally. I haven''t tried to bend them back, except to move the outer ones away from the petals so they won''t scratch any more.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I think these are my all time favorite pieces of yours! They are sublime--I could wear that brooch everyday!!!!!!

P.S. I'd bet those stones are rubies.

cheers--Sharon

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/23/2009 10:17:55 AM
Author: glitterata
Yay Jewelerman! I knew you''d come through for me!

Indian! I had no idea, but that makes a lot of sense now that I look at it. I''ve been wracking my brains trying to think why my aunt would have a bracelet from India, and then I remembered that my grandmother took a trip to India and brought my mother back a beautiful sari that I wore for Halloween one year. (Our family has no particular connection to India--Grandma just loved to travel.) I bet she brought my aunt that bracelet.

I assumed the flower brooch must be early because of the length of the pin and the shape of the hinge and the c-clasp. No? Would you say teens? 1900s? I also assume it''s early because the other jewelry my grandmother gave me at the same time was from the art nouveau period--a classic nouveau-style locket (I''ll try to post a picture of it) and a bracelet with little seed pearls that she said were the first presents my grandfather gave her. They married in 1921, so I think those items must have been from the teens at latest.

The center of the brooch is made of two gold pieces with the gold stamens coming out of them. Is that what you meant by ''thisle''? They rotate, and if you look carefully you''ll see that they''ve scratched the enamel a little. The stamens bend easily, so it''s possible that they were more regularly ordered originally. I haven''t tried to bend them back, except to move the outer ones away from the petals so they won''t scratch any more.

glad i could help...yes thisle=stamens...the pin could be before the teens...this style of pin would have been worn around 1905-15ish....cant wait to see the locket....always enjoy your posts!

 

[glitterata]

Okay, here''s the locket, next to the flower brooch--with a very elegant tape measure for scale.

 

[glitterata]

The locket, by itself.

 

[glitterata]

Open. The back is plain.

 

[glitterata]

It''s set with two tiny OEC or OMC diamonds. Close up of the bigger one:

 

[Upgradable]

DIBS on the locket!!!!! Yummy!!!

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/23/2009 3:21:20 PM
Author: Upgradable
DIBS on the locket!!!!! Yummy!!!

wow!that is a real beauty...the scroll link chain really adds to the whole look!you are very lucky to inherit these pieces.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/22/2009 12:55:35 PM
Author: glitterata
All right, now the brooch. My grandmother gave this to me. She told me it was costume jewelry, but I''m certain it''s solid gold, maybe 18k. It''s 1 3/4 inches wide. I can''t find a mark. I think it''s from the Art Nouveau period. I have no idea where or when she got it.

Anyone recognize the style, or maybe even the manufacturer?

HI:

Saw this and was reminded me of yours....

http://www.rwwise.com/products/id%7C1237

cheers--Sharon

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Sharon! Yes, that''s exactly the kind of thing, especially that delicate painted enamel work--I wonder how they do that.

I''m pretty sure that the brooch in your link--the pansy--has had its clasp replaced at one some point. The clasp is in a later style than the rest of the brooch, and it''s made of white gold, where the original would have been yellow.

Also, the website shows it upside down! It''s a watch pin, not a pendant. That hook is not a bail for hanging the piece as pendant from a chain, it''s a hook for hanging a watch from the brooch when it''s pinned on clothing.

Hm... Thinking about that pansy further, I bet it the basic shape was made as a 4-leaf clover, and then some enterprising jeweler decided to decorate it to turn it into a pansy. That makes me wonder whether the jewelers who made those brooches and the enamelers who decorated them were different people? Maybe it was like china painting, which was popular in the same period, where the artists would buy blank white china and paint it with their own patterns.

Is this a crazy theory? Does anyone know?

I guess it could all be the same manufacturer, but just different departments at the factory or something like that.

 

[glitterata]

PS: This pansy on the same site also seems related. This one was clearly always supposed to be a pansy. It also seems to have replacement hardware, at least the clasp.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 1/24/2009 2:21:25 PM
Author: glitterata
PS: This pansy on the same site also seems related. This one was clearly always supposed to be a pansy. It also seems to have replacement hardware, at least the clasp.

Interesting theory...the 4 leaf theory could easily be true...the enameling process is more complicated in that each color involves a firing process and kilns that heat to a high tempature.... and someone trained in this process... im impressed with your thinking process using the popular art work and hobbys of the period.

 

[musey]

Wow, that bracelet is such a beautiful piece! I''m no expert by any means but the color looks like ruby to me...

The locket is also absolutely beautiful. Your family has some great stuff floating around - wish I had things like this in my own family!

Thanks for sharing, as usual