✅ SOLVED Oval pin I dug , may need Breezie

[CoilyGirl]

Hey all, hope everyone is knockin' em out this Summer and finding goodies galore. Been a slow Summer for us with not too many great targets but I digress, lol.Dug this up in rock hard dirt in a most likely hunted out yard and was chuffed to see something this darling. It has gold gilt on it and what looks to be pearl inserts. I'm guessing Victorian era?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Cry Of The Eagle: History And Legends Of The Cherokee Indians And Their Buried Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Subterranean]

Coilygirl, I have also dug one like yours in pieces. It was from an 1880-1940's farm site. So your assumption on the dates (Victorian Era) may be correct. Yours has a machined pin and a "C" catch common for brooches and badges of that time period. That is a beautiful piece, congrats! Sub

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Yea it looks like an old closure.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Thanks for the info guys,wish there was more I could offer to ahem " pin down" a date on this item. I may PM Breezie and ask her to take a gander.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Too bad there are no manufacturing marks. Search the internet maybe using a few keywords and you may find a matching pic that should tell you more

 

[Breezie]

Your pin appears to be a late Victorian repousse pin, which would date it around 1880-1890's to the turn of the century. As far as the 2 white stones are concerned, are they opaque? During the Victorian period, glass white stones were often used in jewelry as well as Mother of Pearl. There are several ways to distinguish MOP. Tap it on your front tooth, and MOP will make a loud 'click,' not a muted sound. Also, place the stone on your face, and it will feel colder/cooler than most stones. MOP is what makes the outer coating/cover of pearls, so it has an iridescent look.

When I enlarged the photo, the stone on the right in the photo appears to be cut in a jagged fashion. Is this an optical illusion from the photo?

BEAUTIFUL pin and GREAT find!


Breezie

 

[CoilyGirl]

Hey Breezie, thanks for taking a look. One of the stones actually keeps coming out so it was easy to tap against my teeth. It has more of a muted sound and is not cold. The stone keeps flaking a little bit but is cut flush to go into the setting. I wonder if it could be abalone? It does look slightly iridescent. The stones seem to be cut in the shape of an oval petal to go in the insert of the flowers. Here are some better pics.

 

[CoilyGirl]

Oops here's the back of the pin. Looks tome like the pin part broke off and just hooked under the "c" attachment.

 

[sutphin]

COILYGIRL NICE VICTORIAN BROOCH.

 

[trikikiwi]

Oops here's the back of the pin. Looks tome like the pin part broke off and just hooked under the "c" attachment.

View attachment 1195235

That is certainly a beautiful old find CG - and if I may say - your two sets of pictures highlight what I have mentioned in a recent post of my own, on What Is It Forum, about a darker background in pictures of treasures is much preferred to a white/light background (unless you have professional help).
There is much more detail, easily apparent, with the darker background.
Cheers, Mike

 

[Breezie]

Hey Breezie, thanks for taking a look. One of the stones actually keeps coming out so it was easy to tap against my teeth. It has more of a muted sound and is not cold. The stone keeps flaking a little bit but is cut flush to go into the setting. I wonder if it could be abalone? It does look slightly iridescent. The stones seem to be cut in the shape of an oval petal to go in the insert of the flowers. Here are some better pics.

Mother of Pearl and Abalone are basically the same thing. Since you're seeing it in person, and we're looking at a photo, and it looks iridescent to you, then more than likely it is MOP/Abalone or a stone made from the shell of molluscs. Either way, it's a nice pin!

Difference Between Abalone and Mother of Pearl | Difference Between | Abalone vs Mother of Pearl


Breezie

 

[lorraine]

That is a great find, CoilyGirl!

Congratulations on fine detecting!

I love relic hunting but am mostly a beach person...have found some relics in beach sand.

Great pics

Lorraine