May I present you with a hard to find early c.1953 original Eggert Makers Mark on a Sterling Silver and 24K Gold Overlay Brooch often referred to as Flora Danica.

Orla Eggert was a vaudevillian dancer along with his wife Grethe, and as such traveled quite a bit to other countries. Orla missed his home in Denmark when away and that became the seed for starting his business which was preserving natural botanicals that he could keep with them. He soon discovered that covering them in Sterling Silver and then adding a 24K gold overlay preserved them perfectly. This process not only kept them looking just picked but made beautiful jewelry that others wanted to own, and so he started his jewelry company in 1953.

The pin I bring to you today is from the earlier days of that business. Measuring 2 2/8 inches long and 1 (one) inch wide at the bud it is today as beautifully and delicately shaped as the day it was picked some 60 plus years ago.

Showing the original mark stating: Eggert / Silver / Denmark, Which is not the mark we see on this companies offerings today. Still in business, but with new owners since 1971. I am Still researching as to when the mark changed and how many times it may have changed over the years. I had also found the possibility that the sale of the company in 71 may have been the second time the Eggert name brand was sold. I will update here if and when I can confirm this information for you.

Condition is Very Good Vintage with acceptable ware to the Gold Overlay commensurate with its age. And oh, how beautiful this aging has made the rose bud. Glints of silver accent and highlight leaves and petal edges. My Pictures do not do it justice at all. Pin action and Thumb clip are in good working condition and will hold this seldom seen Rose Brooch securely.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself and return it with no questions asked if you are not completely happy with your purchase. Please see my Terms of Sale here on the side of this listing.

FYI:The Estate Sale was for items owned by William and Susan Ecenbarger.

William won the Pulitzer Prize for General news in 1980 for his outstanding coverage of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident coverage. (TMI to us locals) He was a reporter and and editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer in his day and also Freelanced with his work having been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Esquire, Audubon and other leading newspapers and magazines.

He wrote historical books too; “Walkin' the Line: A Journey from Past to Present Along the Mason-Dixon”, published in 2000 and “Glory by the Wayside: The Old Churches of Hawaii which was co-authored by his wife Susan (who also did the principal photography for the book). This was released in 2008. He not only won the Pulitzer, but in his writing career he also won the George Polk Award, and the Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year among many others.

I am assuming that Susan was the collector of the fabulous jewelry I saw there. Be sure to find the other offerings by Eisenberg, Weiss and Pell that I have for you here in my shop.