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Victorian Enameled Gilt Silver Filigree Butterfly Pin browse these categories for related items... All Items: Estate Jewelry: Silver: Victorian: Pre 1900: item # 865540 GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear 56 Calle Monte Aplanado, NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 Phone: 505.205.1404 Guest Book $98 (Free U.S Shipping & Gift-Wrap if Desired) |
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Whether we're longing for spring or welcoming it, a colorful butterfly brooch suits the mood. Here's an especially charming antique one, fashioned of hallmarked 800 silver with panels of exquisite plique a jour enamelwork. That's the transparent kind, which lets light gleam through like stained glass. You can even glimpse the fine filigree through the colors -- artful blends of yellow, green, aqua and violet. We can date the brooch precisely by its pin mechanism, a type used circa 1890, yet its condition is superb. I can't find any enamel losses. The filigree shows age patina, of course, and you might want this brightened a bit. A gentle polish by your jeweler would do it. (Please don't try cleaning enameled jewels at home, since even water can be damaging.) Particularly clever is the sturdy understructure that supports these gracefully fluttering wings; it looks rather like a bi-plane. There's also an unusual early safety catch, the type with a v-shaped lever. The clasp is an old open C. Size is about an inch in each direction and half an inch high. Probable origin would be Austro-Hungarian or Italian, though it reached us as a Texas estate find. The reverse has, besides the 800 stamp, a lozenge-shaped maker mark we haven't yet been able to interpret. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking! |
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