Murrle Bennett Jugendstil Ruby & Peridot 15ct Gold Brooch

I've recently shown a pair of Murrle Bennett silver and enamel earrings bought for $20. They were the first items that prompted me to hunt for jewellery.

A few months later I was staying in a hotel with time to kill and browsing eBay when this brooch came up in a search. It's quite big, 35cm wide and 25cm high, and wonderfully mobile when worn. The wide drop is made up of 5 circles set with real rubies, and it dangles, then the peridot drops dangle below it, so the piece is always moving and catching the light.

It was badly listed and I got it for about US$100.

This is an example of Murrle Bennett's more exclusive fine jewellery creations in the Jugendstil and Secessionist style. As you can see it is 15ct gold, popular in the British market in the early 1900's, and it's also stamped DEPOSE which is a mark seen on pieces intended for the French market.

It was around this time I realised that by ignoring jewellery I'd neglected a fruitful area of collecting and treasure hunting, and I've never looked back.