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  • Scottie Dogs

    These Scottie Dogs are a pair of dress clips, they were popular during the 1930s.  A way of jazzing up an outfit cheaply during the tough times of the Depression when buying a whole new outfit was not always an option.  What is unusual about these dress clips is that they are made of glass. …

  • Bug

    This elegant Bug brooch is from the 1920s. The main body of the bug is made of porcelain and the wings are made of brass.  I would love to say the eyes are rubies but I don’t think they are. Insects have been common motifs in jewellery for many years.  The Victorians who loved all…

  • Saint Esprit

    This brooch is from France. It is made of lead paste crystal & silver. During the 18th century the wearing of religious (Christian) symbols as jewellery was highly fashionable. The most common emblem was a cross, which was often richly encrusted with gems.  But in France peasant women wore crosses in the form of a…

  • Mouse in a Tea Pot

    This is a small mechanical brooch.  The mouse goes up and down – so you can just have a straight tea pot or the mouse poking out.  Mechanical jewellery is not uncommon and has been around for decades.  It is closely associated with novelty brooches.  You will find  turning windmill sails, clowns with strings that…

  • Painted Lady

    I bought this brooch at a small fair where to be honest most of the jewellery was run of the mill.  But tucked under a pile of medals was this lady.  She is hand painted on porcelain.  The quality of the painting is remarkable given that the surround of the brooch is not gold but…

  • Lizard

    Many cultures see the lizard as symbolic. The Bantu believe if you dream of a lizard it is the foretelling of the birth of a male child. The Ancient Egyptians used a lizard in their hieroglyphics to depict ‘plentiful’. In a Cameroon myth the lizard told mankind there is no life after death. In Christianity…

  • Christmas Reindeer

    This is a modern brooch probably made in the Far East.  Even so, it is well made; the enamel has been carefully done and there are a few paste accents giving some  detail. Rudolph is famous for having a glowing red nose and often referred to as Santa Claus’s 9th Reindeer.  He first appeared in…

  • Silver Fireworks

    This brooch, which is from the 1920s, looks almost exactly the same as a 1966 Trifari brooch which was part of the Starlights Fireworks collection. 1966 Trifari advert showing the Starlights Fireworks collection So was this where the designers at Trifari found their inspiration?  Makes you wonder.  But then again, this classic star design was…

  • Bakelite Pear

    Between 1907 and 1909 Dr Leo H. Baekeland was conducting experiments and he accidentally discovered Bakelite. During the 1920s and 1930s it was widely used by costume jewellery manufacturers as it was cheap, could be dyed, easily carved and incorporated with other materials like chrome. You can find bangles, earrings, cufflinks, necklaces and, of course,…

  • Champagne Bottle

    This brooch is large and is convex to represent the shape of the bottle. And as is often the case with brooches from the 1930s, there is no indication of who the designer or maker is. It was bought from an American online site and I’m guessing that this is its country of origin. I…