Posted 8 years ago
Elisabethan
(284 items)
Today I want to share this silver brooch with wonderful shamrock/clove leaf etching and a orange or ambercolored stone. I'm thinking this is from the first part of the 1900th Century. It is marked 826 TL. First I thought it might be norweigan or danish but the look of the brooch is more scottish or irish to me, so is the etching. I haven't been able to find the maker, and I need help to narrow down the search. The stone might also be glass, it's very hard and somewhat cold to the touch.
The shamrock/clove could indicate it's irish but it could also just stand for good fortune. Greatful for ideas, thanks! I'm aware this is not sterling but for now I will post this in fine jewelry as I think it's more right than costume jewelry in this case.
Added information: The brooch is 4 x 4 cm and the stone is 1,5 cm across and 1,22 cm "deep".
.826 fineness is rather uncommon and it was used in both Denmark and Norway (much earlier in Norway,though). Shamrock is not necessarily linked to Ireland (as you said ``good fortune``). Why is lower fineness than sterling (.925) underestimated ? It`s only 9.9 % less silver in the alloy and really makes no difference. Almost the entire production of old silver in e.g. Germany and Austria-Hungary Empire was .813 (13 Loth). Sterling is just one standard (.925).Many countries used even higher standards, including Britannia UK standard.
It`s very nice hand engraved brooch.
It is a really beautiful brooch Elizabethan....I love it!
If you test the stone and it turns out to be genuine cairngorm, your search will right away be narrowed down to Scotland, and even if it's an imitation, the Scottish origin should be considered. Noting the stone setting and looking for similar examples would also help. You didn't mention the size in the original post but it it's large, this kind of setting would not be very common.
Dear friends ofcourse I should have said the size :). The brooch is 4 x 4 cm and the stone is 1,5 cm across and 1,22 cm "deep".
Ivan49 thankyou for your information and thoughts, you are right it's still nice even if not 925 fineness. The difference can be the color, I have one brooch that is 940 and I find it more "silverish white" but that might just be my imagination. Thankyou for stopping by, for coment and love.
TassieDevil thankyou for nice coment and for loving my post.
Lots of thanks davyd286. I will have to get a "stonetester" one of these days. I hope one will turn up for christmas :). Thankyou for your thoughts about Scottland, it is also my feeling it's most likely from. I will continue my search and the setting is as you say one key. Thankyou for comenting, it's valuable to me. You are right, the size is important.
Thankyou dear Valentino for love and kindness The size is 4x4 cm and the stone is 1,5 cm across and 1,22 cm "deep".
Thankyou for love:
NevadaBlades, kyratango, Racer4four, jscott0363, mikelv85, Efesgirl, pops52, aura, caperkid, vetraio50, melaniej.
Thankyou Oroyoroyisthatyourhorse for love and nice coment.
Thankyou Fortapache.
Such a pretty brooch!!! :)
Thankyou very much martika! lovely words.
Thankyou Rick55!
Thankyou Sean!
I will mark this as solved for now even if I haven't been able to test the stone yet. I am confident the answer is here amongst the answers from my fellow collectors. Thank you!