This is a hard to miss vintage 1950s brooch by Schreiner New York. It has almost all the Schreiner trademarks – a domed setting, hook-and-eye construction, unusual colour mix, multiple stone cuts and sizes, with most stones reverse set (points up).
In total there are six different sizes of stone with three cuts (emerald, round and navette) in pink, pale pink and a rich deep green. They are set in a large “square dome” composed of two tiers joined by hooks on one tier connecting through rings on the other.
The setting is silvertone and open-backed where the pink emerald cuts and largest round cuts are set. The navettes and smaller round cuts are foiled and the mix of liquidy open-back and bright foiled stones is just lovely. The brooch has a rollover safety clasp set nearer to the top of the brooch to prevent it flopping forward under its own weight (a hefty 46 grams/almost 2 oz.).
This a large brooch by anyone’s standards – over 2 1/8″ high, 2″ wide and over 1″ thick (5.4 cm x 5 cm x 2.5 cm). The pink emerald cuts are 3/4″ x 1/2″ (1.9 cm x 1.25 cm). It is signed “SCHREINER NEW YORK” on a cartouche.
It is in very good vintage condition with some minor age-related tarnish-like dark spots on the silvertone (mostly between the stones and on the back) and a dark patch on the pin stem but overall the silvertone is in very good condition, and completely intact on the very visible prongs. The stones are in excellent condition with no scuffing, scratches, chips or damage of any kind. The vulnerable points of the reverse-set stones are all intact, with none chipped off.
