Please help with these brooches

onceoza

onceoza

Registered Guest
I am selling some things for a consignor. She swears that these pins are from the 40's. I know what are good signature names on costume jewelry (Weiss, Kramer, etc.) but not items that are unsigned. One of the ceramic penguins has what lookes like OSTONE on the back. There is a word above it that starts with a B, but the pin hardware has the rest obscured. What is your opinion of these, and thank you?


Hmmmm, can't seem to upload pictures. Anyone else having a problem?
 
Jewelry4.jpg
Jewelry5.jpg
Jewelry2.jpg
Jewelry3.jpg
 
The penguin brooch backs are the sort that are still being sold today.
I'm afraid I would have placed all those brooches as 1980s or newer. The penguins look relatively recent to me, maybe a tourist buy from a holiday.
 
Thanks. That's what I thought, but my customer wanted to believe they were invaluable! So, does the OSTONE mean anything?
 


It's easier to tell when you have the pieces in your hand rather than on screen, but I think the piece with the red stone is from the 1940's; or it may even be from the '30s. I think the pin with the sunburst design and the pearls is from the '40's or '50's but the penguins look newer than that. However, even though the one piece pin-back is still being used today, it was in use in the 1940's so that alone does not rule out the penguins being from the '40's. I agree that the penguins look newer but I think they are very hard to date. They could have been hand-made from a mold, or hand formed, then hand painted and fired - maybe in the 1950's or later. They are all slightly different and have an Arts and Crafts summer camp project vibe but they could be mass-produced pieces for a tourist market....

That said, I agree with you that none of them is especially valuable or collectible - IMO.


Linn
 
Linn said:

However, even though the one piece pin-back is still being used today, it was in use in the 1940's so that alone does not rule out the penguins being from 40d

Linn
Click to expand...

Great info about the 'one piece pin back'. I have often wondered whether when such brooches might date from.

Do you happen to know, what is the earliest that kind of back might have been used?
 
So, I guess I'll just list all pieces as a lot. After all, I already have the pictures taken and they won't be any hassle to ship. It's just my time involved.
Thanks for all of the opinions
 
Leonardo da Vintage said:
Great info about the 'one piece pin back'. I have often wondered whether when such brooches might date from.

Do you happen to know, what is the earliest that kind of back might have been used?
Click to expand...

Ruth -

I've been trying to find out. I have been unable to find a patent for the finding. I have several early examples of a one piece pin back that is simpler than the ones on the penguins. That one is still being made and sold today.

These C. 1930's Celluloid pieces have one piece backs but they are much smaller:

Celluloid%20Scotties%20and%20Jockey%20Pin.jpg


Celluloid%20Skating%20Scotties%20Back.jpg


And this C.1940's piece has the same finding (or very close to it) as the one on the penguins - sorry I don't have a picture of the back.



Skunk Wood and Paint Brooch.jpg



Perhaps some other "jewelry" people know the exact date of the finding or have earlier examples.
Linn
 
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