Vintage Floral Sterling Silver Marcasite Brooch

Beautiful sterling silver and marcasite brooch with a safety chain. The brooch is hallmarked silver and has the makers mark H&N.

Brooches are enjoying a revival and, most importantly, they are shedding their reputations as being reserved for women of a certain age. They have been a  staple since the Bronze Age, when they were used as a practical means for securing clothing and have become ever more versatile over time. In The Belle Epoque, for example, flamboyant brooches were worn to show one's wealth and in the 1920s, the trend was to pin brooches on the era's popular cloche hats. Lady Gaga wore a beautiful large dove brooch at Joe Biden's inauguration and Antonio Banderas decorated his satin lapel with diamonds at the 2020 Oscars. Brooches don't only look great on lapels, they can be styled unexpectedly on a white t shirt or to cinch a jacket or skirt. 

Marcasite jewellery dates back to ancient Greek culture and experienced a revival in Georgian times as it was cheaper and less rare than diamonds. Queen Victoria wore Marcasite jewellery when mourning the loss of Prince Albert as it was considered less showy than diamonds which again increased its popularity. Marcasite again came to the fore in the Art Deco period and is still a popular jewellery choice today. 

The brooch measures 5cm x 2cm.

All Leoni & Vonk jewellery is packaged in a black wallet/pouch. If your Leoni & Vonk purchase is a special gift and you would like it gift wrapped please go to the Gift Wrap section here and make your selection https://leoniandvonk.com/collections/gift-wrap

This unique piece of jewellery may have signs of wear due to its history. It is beautifully imperfect and should be treated with love and care.