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 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This brooch has been made by pressing the gold into the required shape using a die-stamping machine.

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

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Stamped gold, set with peridots
Brief description
Brooch, stamped gold set with peridots, England, ca. 1835.
Physical description
Brooch, stamped gold set with peridots, with pendants.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.2cm
  • Width: 6.2cm
  • Depth: 1.5cm
Credit line
Bequeathed by Mr John George Joicey
Summary
This brooch has been made by pressing the gold into the required shape using a die-stamping machine.

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.275, plate 132
Collection
Accession number
M.264-1919

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Record createdAugust 15, 2005
Record URL
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