Antique Georgian brooch. Precious golden-yellow Imperial topaz, white topaz, gold and silver. Probably English, made late 18th to early 19th century. Unisex, suitable for a man or a woman.
Accompanied by a gemstone report by an independent appraiser, a GIA Graduate Gemologist.
Measurements:
Weight is 6.7 grams. 1 inch (2.6cm) long, with the pin extending a few mm beyond.
Stones (estimated, as the stones are mounted): center Imperial topaz approximately 7.40ct; twelve white topaz accent stones, approximately 4.80ct in total.
Description:
Oval brooch, the center set with a golden-yellow Imperial topaz in a closed-back gold collet with a crimped edge. The topaz is surrounded by a border of twelve clear stones that look like diamonds but are in fact old-cut white topaz with high crowns. Because of the slightly later cut, we are assuming that the white topaz are early replacements.
As with diamonds of the time, the white stones are set in silver, which was thought to show them to best effect by candlelight. Because silver tarnishes, the silver collets are backed with gold to protect the wearer’s skin and clothes from blackening, a construction known as silver-topped gold. The closed backs and the long hinged gold pin, which extends beyond the border of the brooch and rests in a simple C-clasp, are typical of Georgian jewelry.
Beautifully made mounts and fine craftsmanship. The brooch is as wearable today as it was so many years ago.
Marks and Metal:
No marks. Gold electronically tested as 14k. White stones set in silver.
Condition:
An engraving on the back has all but worn away and is illegible. Otherwise good, with minor wear commensurate with age and use. Please see enlarged pictures and don’t hesitate to ask questions, which we will do our best to answer.
THE STORY:
A man’s or a woman’s brooch. In its day it may well have been worn by a gentleman to pin his cravat, or on his hat, while a lady might have worn it on her bodice or sleeve. Today it can be worn on a shirt, jacket or scarf: understated elegance and extremely versatile.
Golden topaz was one of the great gemstones of the 18th and 19th centuries. Much of the finest came from the mines of Ouro Preto in Brazil, and its warm, glowing color was especially prized in the candlelit rooms of the period.
Shirley Bury, a great authority on antique jewelry, illustrates a very similar design in Jewellery: The International Era 1789–1910, Volume I (page 311, Plate 167): a large sapphire in a border of twelve diamonds, given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria the day before their wedding in February 1840. The Queen wore it on her wedding day and many times afterwards. Bury notes that it reflects the Prince’s admiration for early nineteenth-century design, a style that remained popular throughout the century, as this brooch shows. See our 9th picture.
