SALE Enormous Sterling Silver 1912 Birmingham Hallmarked Brooch w/ Scottish Cairngorm

Jewelry : Antique : Fine : Silver

 

This brooch is a whopper. So large that I speculate that it might have once been a box lid that was converted into a brooch - though I am not certain of this. It measures 3.125" in diameter and is almost 1" thick excluding the catch. It weighs 41.8 gr. The large amber colored faceted stone in the center is 1" in diameter and approximately .5" thick. Cairngorm stones are a form of smokey quartz in an amber color found in Scotland. This stone has not been tested so it is possible it might be glass, though I see none of the tell tale bubbles that can sometimes be seen in glass stones.

This brooch has faint worn hallmarks. I can make out the standing lion and anchor that indicate Birmingham manufacture. The date mark appears to be a lower case "n" which would stand for the year 1912 - however this is an educated guess given the wear on the mark. The makers mark looks like H.?.D., and might be for Henry Clifford Davis - though that company was more active in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century and this brooch is earlier than that.

Condition is fair. There are some scratches and dings in the brooch surface. The bezel surrounding the stone has one small separation and a corresponding flea bite nick to the edge of the stone nearby. The reverse side shows silver solder spillage where the stone setting was re-secured in the past. Still a most impressive brooch despite its flaws.

Item ID: iscot808

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Layaways and offers considered. Combined shipping discounts on multiple purchases.