We acquired this beautiful little pin as part of a lot of vintage estate jewelry from a wealthy New York City family. We have had several people, including a retired jeweler, look at it and will tell you everything that we know about it. The pictures will tell the rest...it's really lovely!
The pin was made between 1890 and 1906. It is definitely gold but there are no markings on it. Before the metals act of 1906, karat markings were not compulsory; so many old pieces like this are unmarked. We believe the pin is 14K because all the other pins found in our research with similar designs are also 14K. There is a picture of one such pin, along with information on it, below.
The dazzling little diamond, which is beautifully set, is 2mm and we believe it is .03 carats. You can see how gorgeous it is in the pictures!
All of the delicate genuine 1mm seed pearls are intact.
The pin is 7/8" in diameter. The pin bar and hinge are original but the catch was replaced, probably in the 1920's. Because people wanted to feel safer wearing their valued pieces, this was commonly done in the 1920's when this more secure safety clasp was developed.
There is a graceful pendant loop on the back as well.
|