Brooch thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Jewellery, Rooms 91, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery

Brooch

ca. 1835-50 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the 1850s the jewellery trade had been transformed by consumer demand and technological innovation. Traditional techniques such as casting, chasing and engraving continued in high fashion pieces, but newer industrial methods created cheaper products for a mass market.

Flatted gold, rolled through machinery to a very thin sheet, could be stamped to make multiple standard components. Through the use of stamped collets, even the setting of gemstones required less handwork.

The expansion of the jewellery trade in Britain also benefited from the legalisation of three lower standards of gold alloys in 1854.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Brooch
  • Pendant
  • Pendant
Materials and techniques
Stamped metal openwork set with foiled topaz and chrysoberyl
Brief description
Brooch with two pendants, stamped openwork set with foiled topaz and chrysoberyl, England, about 1835-50
Physical description
Brooch with two pendants, stamped openwork set with foiled topaz and chrysoberyl. One pendant is attached to the brooch and the other suspended from a chain.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.1cm
  • Width: 5.4cm
  • Depth: 2.2cm
Credit line
Given by Dame Joan Evans
Summary
By the 1850s the jewellery trade had been transformed by consumer demand and technological innovation. Traditional techniques such as casting, chasing and engraving continued in high fashion pieces, but newer industrial methods created cheaper products for a mass market.

Flatted gold, rolled through machinery to a very thin sheet, could be stamped to make multiple standard components. Through the use of stamped collets, even the setting of gemstones required less handwork.

The expansion of the jewellery trade in Britain also benefited from the legalisation of three lower standards of gold alloys in 1854.
Bibliographic reference
Shirley Bury, Jewellery 1789-1910, The International Era, Vol. 1. p.288, plate149
Collection
Accession number
M.33:1 to 3-1962

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Record createdAugust 15, 2005
Record URL
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