A sweet-faced, pretty gray horse gazes alertly out of this vintage brooch style pin, from under a flat glass disk -- this looks like a show horse, proud of the blue ribbon award affixed to a first prize winner's bridle.

At 2-3/4 inches across and 1/4 inch thick, this would be lovely pinning a frothy tie or displayed on a collar or lapel. The horse is a beautiful, highly detailed die-cut, resting on a background of deep red, encased under the glass in its original metal backing. The backing appears to be chrome- or nickel-plated brass (hence the silver color).

This piece appears to be an early one that has been converted into jewelry. Made originally for a horse or pony harness, it would have been used to add a tighter fit to the cheekpieces of the animal's bridle. On the back you can see two round brass (golden color) scars where a "D" ring has been skillfully removed. A pin with a safety catch has been welded on firmly, and voila! it's perfect to adorn M'lady's costumes!

CONDITION is lovely: There is a tremendous amount of realism and detail in the artwork. You can see highlights in the horse's eye, blue flowers ribbons decorating the browband and that the bit is a double cheek snaffle type. The pin works perfectly. There are NO rips, tears or stains on the horse or background. The glass top is crystal clear with no scratches. The backing is firmly attached with no gaps.

Some light use marks show on the back, but remember this was once part of a harness.

This particular rosette is somewhat newer than the Victorian ones we prefer, but it was so incredibly pretty we could not resist it !