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  • The Owl and the Moon

    This small owl is made of carved ‘Bog Oak’ with glass eyes.  If you look closely you can see how the carver has indicated the plumage of the owl, this can’t have been easy as ‘Bog Oak’ is a particularly hard material.  During the mid to late nineteenth century the majority of ‘Bog Oak’ jewellery was…

  • Flower Cart

    This dainty brooch is made of silver with marcasite and enamel decoration. The little wheels spin round and the brooch is designed as a three-dimensional piece. The canopy of the cart comes out from the main part of the design. Most brooches are designed ‘flat’ but adding a third dimension adds depth and interest. Marcasite…

  • Romeo and Juliet

    To celebrate Valentine’s Day this brooch is from the 1930s and depicts Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet in the balcony scene in Act Two when Romeo scales the forbidden garden of Juliet’s house to woe her.  The brooch is French.  There are no markings on the brooch so how do I know this?  The French…

  • Bow

    This pretty brooch is from the 1940s. It is made from a kit sold through a magazine in America.  I have been unable to track down which magazine. The back of this example is covered in leather and has been finished extremely neatly.  I have over the years seen other examples where the back has…

  • Two Bugs

    These two bugs are from the 1920s.  They are not made of precious materials, their wings are made of celluloid an early form of plastic and the legs are gilt metal.  Paste stones have been added to the head and legs to add glamour and make them sparkle.  Bugs and insects have long been a…

  • Holly

    This is a small delicate brooch made of 18ct gold with two real pearls.  I bought it from a shop tucked up a side street in London.  I would make a detour to have a look in the window and sometimes pop in.  Gradually I got to know the staff, in particular Stephen whose knowledge…

  • Dog with Bow

    This brooch is from Japan and a specific period.   Following the end of World War II Japan needed to rebuild its economy.  It was agreed by the allies they could export goods as long as 50% of the items leaving the country had ‘Occupied Japan’ or similar stamped on them. This brooch is one of…

  • Leopard

    This solid 9ct gold leopard brooch was made in Birmingham in the 1970s.  The tree branch the leopard sits on has been delicately cast and if you look closely you can see the detail of the bark and even a knot.  The leopard himself has ruby eyes and his spots are minuscule dots of black…

  • Votes for Women

    To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March this month’s brooch was almost certainly made for and worn by a Suffragette. It is gold with seed pearls, amethysts and peridots.  It has a small detachable hook with three seed pearls allowing it to be converted into a pendant, making it a versatile piece of jewellery….

  • Domino

    I call this brooch my domino brooch, I do realise it’s not a true domino.  It is made of Lucite with diamante.  The brooch is probably American but there are no marks.  The pin has been secured by carefully drilling into the Lucite, this takes skill and nowadays manufacturers will just glue fixings and pins…