General Information:

• Total Carat Weight: 0.17 ct
• Precious Metal Weight: 3.15 dwt
• Precious Metal Material: 10k buttery yellow gold
• Dimensions: This brooch measures 46.45 mm long x 14.82 mm wide x 10.31 mm back to front, including the stem to the reverse. Excluding the stem, the brooch is 6.34 mm back to front.
• Weight: A desirably weighty 4.90 grams
• Markings: This piece is unmarked, though it is very much in the style of B.H. Joseph & Co, a jewelry maker out of the UK that began operating in 1865. During the height of the 19th century, this maker was said to be one of the largest jewelry houses in the industry.
• Era: This brooch is believed to date to the mid Victorian period, around the last quarter of the 19th century, circa 1875, and embodies whimsical elements of the Art Nouveau aesthetic while also looking ahead to the refinement of the pre-war Edwardian years.
• Buyer Notes: This piece represents a resurgence in popularity in pearl and bright enamelwork jewelry during the end of the 1800s, yet its precise make, scale, design, quality, craftsmanship and construction make it a surprisingly rare find today. The central circular component houses both a small cultured pearl and vivid purple and white enameling. Please kindly note that this brooch does emit a very light, hushed rattle when shaken. There is nothing loose or defective, rather, this is believed to simply be metal remnants left over from piece's construction process over a century and a half ago. Keep in mind that this quality is not at all perceptible to the ear when worn, but is noted for buyer transparency.
• Prospective Buyers: Research shows that this Victorian brooch has a comparative market value of at least $1,275. This is not a formal, written appraisal but may be helpful for prospective buyers while considering the purchase of this rarity.

Specifications:

• Center Stone Type: Cultured Pearl
• Center Stone Count: One (1)
• Center Stone Dimensions: Estimated 3.00 mm, as measured within the mounting as the stone setting permits.
• Center Stone Carat Weight: 0.17 ct by formula per the specific gravity of pearl and using the stone's dimensions 
• Center Stone Shape: Presumed split/halved, though difficult to confirm because of the stone's crimped collet bezel setting
• Center Stone Color: White with very good luster
• Center Stone Clarity: Opaque

The Story:

A very lovely jewel, this Victorian brooch is delightfully bright in color and elegant in design. The front features a single lustrous pearl set within a crimped collet bezel mounting, which centers a field of semi-translucent, vivid lilac purple enameling. This hand-guilloché enamel highlights hand-gouged concentric linework beneath, which exists as is a precursor to the engine-turned guilloché of the turn of the 19th to 20th century. Prior to machine-turned designs, all such detailing was painstakingly completed by the hand of a skilled metalworker, as is exhibited in this brooch.

The translucence of the enamel allows light to bounce in and out and iridesce atop the gold metal beneath, giving the color a distinctly vivid and somewhat metallic effect. Under significant magnification, both the subtle imperfections of the geometric linework and the tiniest seed bubbles of trapped air in the purple enamel are perceptible, two characteristics offering a most charming reminder of the design's handcrafted origins.

While the color purple is generally associated with royalty, imagination, and spirituality, the specific hue of lilac used represents a connection to the divine. The vibrancy of the color suggests both the liveliness of youth, the childlike faith in God's purpose for each person, and a sense of serenity that exceeds mere human reason. The inclusion of the white enamel dotted perimeter is notable as associated with the heavens, and conveys the idea of ordered balance and sacred harmony. The fact that twelve dots comprise this pattern is intentional, and allude to the 12 Followers of Christ and 12 Tribes of Israel, the age of Christ when his words are first recorded in Scripture, and the number of months in the calendar year. This number represents the completion of life's mission and the utmost of spiritual expression.

In suit with the white enamel dotted pattern, the use of a pearl in jewelry bears similar meaning: pearls are perceived as holy emblems of affection, often recalling the sincerity of tears, the glory of the redeemed and the sanctification by grace.