General Information:
- Precious Metal Material: Pinchbeck (brass variant as an 18th century gold simulant)
- Dimensions: 46.1 x 35.7 mm overall; 50.1 mm pin length
- Weight: 12.42 grams
- Markings: None
- Origin: United Kingdom
- Era: c. 1800-1820
- Buyer Notes: Though not made with the most precious materials, this piece is such an incredible example of late Georgian innovation in the jewelry industry, and exemplifies life, necessity and culture of early 19th century United Kingdom. This piece would have been given as a passionate token gifted between friends or lovers.
Specifications:
- Center Stone Type: Opalescent chalcedony molded art glass
- Center Stone Count: One (1)
- Center Stone Carat Weight: by formula, approx. 29.77 ct (Remember that glass carat weights are calculated a bit differently than diamonds, as glass bears a different specific gravity)
- Center Stone Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 2.5 mm (roughly, as the glass is beveled and shaped)
- Center Stone Cut: Beveled and rounded rectangular tablet
- Center Stone Color: Very light periwinkle blue (cool white undertone)
- Center Stone Clarity: Translucent, especially in direct light
The Story:
Created entirely by hand around the first quarter of the 19th century, this very rare sentimental brooch features striking materials that set it apart from other pieces of its time. The primary ‘stone’ is a blown-molded glass cabochon that is slightly beveled with a central depressed cartouche shape that houses a raised, chased and enameled heart feature. This glass stone is made as a chalcedony simulant, a more economical alternative to the actual agate stone. The glass is also opalescent, very pale periwinkle in color and glows with flashes of peach and off-white at various angles in the light.
The raised heart boasts a bright periwinkle blue enameling that beautifully complements the coloration of the glass on which it sits. At the very center of the heart is a gold hand, complete with a ruffled cuff at the wrist, and a charmingly imperfect red enameled heart in the palm. Encasing the ‘Hand-in-Heart’ motif is a heart-shaped halo of chased cyma and floral allusions, which shows some asymmetry from 200 years of loving wear. Grounding the glass body of the brooch is an open-backed metal mounting, with Rococo style swirling ribbons framing each side and crimping rounding each corner.
The reverse of the brooch reveals several characteristics about the piece, including materiality confirmation and likely date range. From the back of the brooch, a few tiny air bubbles and sweeping lines across the surface of the glass are barely discernible to the naked eye, but are evidence of the molding process used to craft the glass stone. As well, the edges of the glass are visible here and there, and show a shiny luster rather than a waxy one, indicating glass rather than a quartz stone. However, the maker of this piece was clever in their choice of glass to simulate chalcedony, as quartz is most chemically similar to glass. Further, the bar and clasp indicate the age of the brooch: both the tube hinge and the non-locking ‘c’ clasp was used throughout the late Georgian era until the 1890s when several locking mechanisms were added to ‘c’ clasps. The bar pin extends just beyond the brooch’s edge, a change made in the beginning of the 19th century for extra security.
Though this piece was sold to the shop as being 9k gold purity, it appears that the metal is actually Pinchbeck, also commonly known as ‘Pinch’ gold. Pinchbeck is a gold imitation, intentionally invented as a more affordable gold alternative, and grew to become a very popular choice for jewelry worn and brought by ladies during travel; because it was less valuable than true gold, it was a safer option when facing the threat of highway robbers or loss. The Pinchbeck alloy was invented around 1730 by London clockmaker Christopher Pinchbeck (1670-1732), as something of a variation of brass: historically, brass is comprised of approximately 67% copper and 33% zinc, while Pinchbeck hovers around 93% copper and 7% zinc. As such, it possesses a much more golden appearance than standard brass, so much so that it can easily pass as fine purity gold. Pinchbeck fell out of style with the invention of gold plating, and when low 9 karat purity was developed in the 1850s, as it was subsequently legalized for trade in the UK.
An extraordinary example of late Georgian handcrafted jewelry, this piece was entirely created by the hands of artisans, and was intentionally designed to be a practical alternative to the expense of natural gems and pure metals. It features the latest and greatest in jewelry-making techniques of the early 1800s, and exudes mesmerizing charm and color. With a romantic motif, this piece is a visual representation of irreplaceable and unforgettable affection, a snapshot of love from a bygone era two centuries ago.
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General Information: All additional jewelry boxes, ring boxes, and other jewelry items pictured alongside a featured listing are considered props, are for photographic and display purposes only and are not included in the transaction unless otherwise noted. Items do not come with physical documentation, appraisals, or certifications, unless explicitly stated in the item description and/or title. While jewelry is inspected upon procurement by the shop as well as prior to shipment, Revival Fine Jewelry cannot guarantee a warranty once items leave our inventory, given the delicate and individual nature of secondhand articles and the unaccountability of buyer handling post-purchase.
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Regarding Brooches & Pins: Often significantly and curiously undervalued jewelry items, brooches, pins and stick pins are treasured pieces of history in this shop. Accordingly, their pricing is calculated analogous to other fine jewelry, including their symbolic meaning, rarity and historical prestige. Such pieces are typically converted to other forms of jewelry, and are therefore becoming increasingly rare in their original states. Aside from being perfectly wearable as sophisticated lapel ornaments, brooches and pins of all kinds are prime candidates for many kinds of fine jewelry conversions, including rings, earrings, pendants, and charms, if so desired by the consumer post-purchase. Revival Fine Jewelry does not perform conversion projects for customers.
Regarding Storage & Boxes: All specifications, including but not limited to the measurements, age, origins, and material compositions are supplied in good faith as professional estimations constructed using professional grade tools, years of learned and honed skills, educational resources and academic scholarship, and refined research methods. Regardless of our confidence in our descriptions and the photographs deemed viable extensions of these descriptions, we cannot guarantee the definitiveness, faultlessness, or exactitude beyond our knowledge and expertise. Kindly keep in mind that this and all items are sold as-is vintage, antique and estate secondhand wares, and consequently bear conditional wear in matter and operation commensurate with age and use.
More information on these, and more, topics may be found in the shop policies.
All layaway terms may be found here, and all shop policies may be found here.
Layaway is available for full priced, non-sale items priced $600.00 USD or greater, and items may not be combined to attain price-eligibility. Plans are offered as 3-month/90-day maximum terms.
In exchange for offering interest-free plans, customers agree to abide and uphold the following nonnegotiable terms and conditions:
- A 30% deposit is due upfront to reserve the item for layaway and pull it from public sale on all of our shopping platforms. Shipping expenses are added to this first payment unless otherwise requested.
- The remaining 70% balance is divided up into three subsequent monthly payments due on the same day of the following three months. If delinquent, a $20.00 USD late fee is added per day to an overdue payment until paid.
- In the event that a layaway installment is left unpaid for seven (7) days and no communication is received from the designated customer, the layaway plan will be presumed abandoned. While the item will be returned to public sale, all payments made hitherto are still considered final.
Layaway items are promptly boxed and shipped to the designated customer once the final payment successfully processes. Taxes, import and other legal fees are not calculated into the payments, and are the sole responsibility of the customer, whether a domestic US or international buyer. Revival Fine Jewelry is not responsible for calculating, covering or adding such costs into purchase prices.
All layaway payments as well as all items purchased through layaway plans are considered final sale; neither payments nor items may be refunded, transferred, exchanged or returned. Revival Fine Jewelry does not issue store credit.
Revival Fine Jewelry reserves the right to cancel any layaway plan at any point for any reason if fraudulent activity is suspected. In this event, the designated customer will be notified prior to the intended cancellation of their plan.
Request a layaway plan via email here. Remember to specify your desired item by providing its link, title or SKU/code.