Posted 7 years ago
pebble
(31 items)
My Mum dug out this brooch from family bits and pieces when we were looking at Siam Silver Nieloware pieces as she thought it looked similar. She doesn't know where it came from.
Googling around, I first thought it looked a bit like a couple of Georg Jensen brooches designed by Arlo Malinowski made during WW2 (see link in comments), but there is no mark on the back.
Then I came across some Victorian mourning brooches with silver inlaid in other substances, usually tortoiseshell, but occasionally jet, so I'm wondering if this is indeed a Victorian mourning brooch made from jet with silver inlay. I'm pretty sure the flower is a forget-me-not which would fit with it being a mourning brooch.
It has a solid "c" clasp which looks like it's always been there, but the pin and hinge don't look original. It looks like the hinge has been soldered on a a later date. It's 2.5" in diameter (nearly 4cm).
I'd really welcome any thought on this - and I way of the mark or do my wild guesses seem reasonable? Thanks for reading if you got this far!
Link to Georg Jensen brooch:
http://www.jensensilver.com/brooches/georg-jensen-iron-brooch-5002-inlaid-with-sterling-silver
Victorian mourning brooch - this one is tortoiseshell but i found a jet one at some point (lost the link though!):
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/803822233464478106/
Almost like a thistle, maybe Scottish. Beautiful pin.
The flower on the left is Lily Of The Valley.
"Lily of the valley has the flower meaning of humility, chastity, sweetness, purity and is said to bring luck in love. It also means "the return of happiness" which is the reason why it is often used as decorations in weddings. Convallaria majalis or lily of the valley usually bloom in the month of May."
Not sure - but the leaf looks like an Anemone leaf - hard to tell.
"The beautiful Anemone flower symbolizes: Protection against evil and ill wishes. The approach of a rain storm when the petals close up. Forsaken or forgotten love and affection. Anticipation and excitement for something in the future."
The third flower looks like a Poppy.
"Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: Sleep because the opium extracted from them is a sedative, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead."
Rosemary & Thyme (A british Murder mystery TV show) Did an episode about the secret language of flowers. Entire gardens were paeans or odes to love or remembrance, and if you know the flowers' meanings you can 'read' the garden!
"Flowers are one of the most popular and well-received gifts, often given to express love and affection. But did you know the type of flowers you give can speak volumes? The Secret Language of Flowers is a fascinating insight into the Victorian tradition of using flowers to convey secret messages, in a society where feelings often had to be suppressed. In this beautifully illustrated and packaged book - the perfect gift itself - Samantha Gray reveals how flowers came by their meanings in folklore and how flowers became the language of courtship, love, friendship, beauty and more. Discover the meanings behind over 50 flowers - such as how lily of the valley symbolizes the return of happiness, how bluebells stand for constancy and everlasting love, and how daffodils represent high regard and chivalry."
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Secret_Language_of_Flowers.html?id=QqH3tgAACAAJ&source=kp_cover
Thanks for your comment Phil, we are in Scotland so it could have originated here, but there is jewellery from all over the world in this collection :)
Celine, thanks so much for all that info, wonderful to learn about the language of flowers!
Thanks to everyone else who clicked love.
Hi Pebble, I was just going on the one leaf on that pin which does resemble the Scottish Thistle. I imagine others may not see it. It really is a beautiful pin and I see the similarity to Jensen's work is undeniable, so I think you have something there. I have seen other pins similar from time to time.
It definitely has a similarity to a thistle leaf, also a poppy or some anemone leaves are like that too. Pretty, whatever it is!