These are antique pieces in my mother’s collection, passed down to her from her mother. Above are three adorable brooches. The one the left is a heart brooch, probably from China. It has a finely detailed scene with five figures, hand painted on top of mother-of-pearl. Above is a crescent brooch with tiny old European and old mine cut diamonds and seed pearls. Crescents, flowers and bird brooches like this were popular around the turn of the century. On the right is a tiny brooch with amethysts. The simple brooch looks to be designed in the transition period between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, early 20th century.
This is a gold-filled buckle bangle bracelet that my mom wore frequently when she was growing up. These belt style bracelets were popular in the Victorian era. This one has engraved floral decoration all the way around the bracelet.
These Victorian gold-filled earrings take inspiration from previous design periods. The form resembles Greek amphorae. At the end of the 19th century, designers drew inspiration from Greek and Roman jewelry and design as a way to harken back to the past, before industrialization. They are finely engraved with Taille d’épargne enamel — black enamel filled the engraved design to emphasize the line and create contrast to the metal.
