This lovely vintage sterling silver brooch has an openwork design of 3-D flowers and leaves set on a coil of silver – much like a flowering vine.
There are three flowers altogether, made up of two layers of puffy petals nicely textured with deep veins. They have prong-set pink-coloured glass stones at their centres and deep dimensions, standing about 7 mm (5/16″) high. From the side they look like water lilies. The bottom of the coil is embellished with naturalistic long thin leaves with fine vein details.
The brooch is large – 5.5 cm across and 4.5 cm high (2 1/8″ by just over 1. 75″) – and fitted with an old-style safety clasp. It weighs 15 grams (0.5 oz.) and is marked “STERLING” on an applied diamond-shape but sadly, it is not signed. It has echoes of Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts but I believe it actually dates to the late 1930s, early 1940s.
It is in very good vintage condition having a kink in the pin stem but no other damage or faults. It has not been cleaned but appears to have been nicely cared for, not overpolished at any time – there is plenty of design-enhancing tarnish in the crevices.
