This brooch was made in the 1960s by the Circle Jewelry Company founded by Ben Gartner and his son Michael in New York in 1958 which continued to the mid-1970s. Goldette was the company trademark. They specialised in metalwork pieces and Victorian revival and some of their work has oriental influences. Goldette jewellery is not common and you won’t find it easily in the UK, I bought this brooch from a dealer in the US. Since buying this brooch I have seen it sold as a set with matching earrings. I’m now going to look out for a pair of the earrings; I think the purple dangling earrings will be great fun.
Much has been written about the triangle, triangles plural, the orientation of triangles, and the great symbolic significance given to them in many cultures and religions. Were these thoughts in the minds of the designers at Circle Jewelry in the 1960s, the era of flower power, the Vietnam war, peace marches, women’s lib, sexual liberation and civil rights, who knows? Or is it just good design?
Many years ago I bought a ‘Thimble’ brooch at the Victoria & Albert Museum and for a long time I didn’t know the designer, then one day looking online I spotted it and correctly attributed it to Goldette. It always pays to keep an eye out, you never know when you will fill the gaps in your knowledge.
The ‘Thimble’ brooch used to be on the original incarnation of The Casket of Fictional Delights when it began in 2011. We have come a long way with the design and look of the website.
Original theme of The Casket of Fictional Delights in 2011