1960s

Sail Boat

This silver brooch is smaller than my usual brooches. But the reason I have it in my collection is the simplicity of the design which conveys perfectly the image and idea of a sail boat. In the design there are just two shapes, one smooth (the sail) and one textured (the boat hull), together they…

Circus Horse

Dan Kasoff began making jewellery in New York just after WWII ended. In the beginning Dan Kasoff Inc manufactured pieces which were supplied to the wholesale trade. It was not until 1950 that the company began marking its pieces with the name Florenza and marketing in their own right. The name Florenza does not come…

Circle with Holes

This brooch is made of 14ct gold by the Finnish designer Liisa Vitali. Liisa Vitali was born on 9th November 1918 in Helsinki. The family moved to a farm in the small village of Viluksela in southern Finland when Liisa was two. Following the death of their parents Liisa and her brother Väinö continued to…

Stone with Two Leaves

This brooch is by Kramer. It is made of gilt metal, caste as two finely defined leaves with a large piece of moss agate at its centre. The company was started in 1943 by Louis Kramer in New York. Once WWII was over Louis was joined by his two brothers Morris and Harry. Christian Dior’s…

Star Burst

This is very much a ‘statement’ piece, measuring 8cm by 10cm. As well as being a brooch it also has a hook on the back so it can be worn as a pendent. This brooch is by Panetta, an American costume jewellery firm, prominent between 1945 and the late 1980s. Benedetto Panetta emigrated in 1901…

Flower

The main body of this brooch is made from opaque glass. In its centre is a small cluster of seven garnets forming the stamens of the flower. The glass has been carved to give texture to the petals. I bought this brooch from Hanson’s auction. Hanson’s is run by the charismatic auctioneer Charles Hanson, whose…

Cortina

This brooch is by one of the preeminent British jewellery designers of the 1960s. It is known as a ‘Cortina’ and my version is made of 9ct gold. The brooch was designed in 1965 by Ernest Blyth for the Leicester Jewellers George Tarratt. The brooch is made up of three separate but fused plates of…

Lion’s Head

This brooch is by Vendome. Vendome was a subsidiary of Coro (Fuji Man & Mr & Mrs Squirrel) set up in 1944, taking over from Corocraft. Both Corocraft and Vendome were the high-end divisions of Coro. Vendome was popular during the 1960s when Helen Marion became their principle designer. Following the Second World War, Vendome…

Braille

This set of brooches is by the Norwegian designer Rasmussen (sometimes you will see it written as Knut A Rasmussen or Knut Andreas Rasmussen). The KA Rasmussen company was started in 1872 as a goldsmith’s workshop. I cannot find out much about Rasmussen jewellery but the company is still going today and are the largest…

Christmas Tree

This brooch is from Estonia made during the Communist era. It was at a time when materials were scarce. So, this brooch and the others I bought are made of what would be described in an auction catalogue as ‘white metal’ a low grade of silver, not the 925 standard we have in the UK…