1950s Blue Glass and Goldtone Floral buying Brooch

Dramatic Claw Set 1950s
Blue Glass and Goldtone Floral Brooch
The flower consists of six large and six small
oval claw set blue glass stones
with one central circular showpiece stone.
The five tendrils of the flower are in a tooled goldstone alloy
and have a dramatic Art Deco sweep to them.
We believe the brooch to be a mid-century piece,
probably from the 1950s.
This would look wonderful on a Jacket , Hat or Scarf
The brooch measures 2 1/2 inches high by 1 1/4 inches wide.

Saying it with flowers has been passed down throughout the centuries. Floral motifs were designed in all styles of antique jewellery, but perhaps the most predominant categories were rings, pendants and brooches.

A gift of a red tulip could mean a declaration of love, while favourite blooms for baubles were forget-me-nots for remembrance, pansies from the French pensee - meaning thoughts - or pensee et moi - think of me.
Even before these botanicals appeared in jewellery, the choice of wedding bouquet spoke of the different emotions expressed by brides, and the scattering of rose petals down the aisle meant wishes of love and happiness as the couple entered their new life together. Even in this age of technology, where people text instead of talk, showing affection through the symbolism of flowers is still very much part of our culture.

Although Japan and buying Asian countries cultivated their own floral meanings in earlier times, the popularity of botanicals as emblems of emotion blossomed during the Romantic era. Scribes of the day wrote poetry and verse that revolved around single or multiple blooms, and floral motifs in antique jewellery articulated the affections or sentiments that could not be spoken or shown freely during that period.

The origin of the Western idea of various flowers representing specific meanings is said to have been inspired by selam - a Turkish custom of communicating through flowers and other objects. However, this tradition decoded messages based on words that rhymed with the objects. After the 1763 Turkish Embassy Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Constantinople, were published, which described this secret language, communicating through flowers caught on throughout Europe.

Thank you to Beth Bernstein for the information (www.thejewelleryeditor.com)