Pin Heritage Question

S

SusanSunshinesDaily

Registered Guest
I'm stumped on the heritage of this sweet heart little pin, does anyone know more about it? Mega thanks:)
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Susan,

Welcome to the Forum and thank you for posting your piece. The picture is a little out of focus so it's hard to see the details. It looks like the pin has a simple clasp and a "modern" style hinge which means that it is not earlier than the 1890's which is not much of a help!

It looks like a collar pin - but could you answer a few questions:

Is the red/orange coral? Does it have a design on it? Is it molded or carved? What are the measurements? Does it smell like brass?

It would help to see a detailed picture of the front.

Linn
 
Thanks for the great questions Linn, and taking the time on this:) I'm stumped here because of these questions.... the pin smells like an old penny, yet I believe it is brass. I've attached a better, more focused picture. The small coral flower in the center is most likely a plastic, though it doesn't appear molded nor carved.... it is so smooth, possibly from being worn/ touched, there are no visible signs of molding or carving and yet because of the setting I don't think it's coral & have to believe it's celluloid or some other plastic. It doesn't smell like bakelite but it's so tiny I haven't tried any of the other bakelite tests. Through a loop the faux(?) seed pearls are in pristine condition.

When I first saw the pin, I immediately thought art noveau because somewhere I've seen this design and immediately made that connection, though of course I can't find what I see in my memory now. Had set the pen aside to look into at a later date, which is now, and when I opened the box, my first thought was that it looked like the front of a prop plane! (big propeller in the middle, two to either side)...

Thanks again for joining me to solve this mystery!
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My guess is that the rose/flower is early Celluloid but see if you can sniff it or do a hot water test - being careful not to wet the pearls. It certainly looks early - would you be able to take a clearly focused photo of the back with the pin stem in the closed position?

Thanks!

Linn
 
This is really not my area of expertise, but I think it's very early 20 C., and I think it is a collar pin. I looked through several books and found a similar rose that was glass and dated C. 1930, but I think this looks earlier. I'll continue to look. Perhaps someone else will weigh in with an opinion!

It might help a little if you could reduce the size of your photo and show it pinned to a garment. It's actually really "tiny" - 1 1/4" x 1/2" - is that correct?

I love a good jewelry mystery, too!

Linn
 
You rock ladies, and then some! It IS very tiny and I'll take a picture to post showing it pinned, and not make it so large:) The estate that it came from leads me to believe it's pre 30's but you just never know, and it's always fun to find that one special piece that's a bit of a mystery. Thanks for joining me on the adventure:)
 
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