Looking for any info on this enamel brooch/pendant

[lilmosun]

Another impulse buy I made awhile ago. It tests for 18-22kt. Has a round hinge and c clasp pin in addition to the bale. Old cut diamonds. A couple of tiny rubies. The back looks like some foreign markings - not even sure which side is up - I assume this indicates the maker? I assume the hinge makes it mid-1900's unless it was added later.

Have always wondered about its origin. I searched the internet for something like it awhile ago without luck. Any ideas?

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi LIL, lovely quality & condition. As soon as I looked at it I thought " French " but like you I cant make out the hallmarks/makers mark from the picture. If you could copy them down on paper then spin it 180 degrees, that will give you a better idea which way looks like a legible mark. Then post it to see if I can help you identify the origin, if its from Europe it shouldn't be too hard to find. My 2nd thought is "Dutch " based on the flowers depicted, again this is only a guess. I need the marks to continue .

 

[lilmosun]

Thanks for offering to try and help! I am surprised how difficult its been. First time that I couldn't at least find similar pieces on the internet to determine period and country. I took it to a booth at the gem show selling vintage jewelry. The woman barely glanced at it and said "common Victorian replica from the 1940's...not worth more than scrap value of the gold" (not that I was selling..I bought it because I thought it was unusual and pretty). But still can't figure out why I don't see anything like it given its so common.

I really can't make out the marks better than shown in the photo..but here is my attempt (a little difficult because of the shadows).

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi again Lil, I'm not getting much from the marks at all. The only crumb I can find is the word FOLIF which could be what the last 5 letters say, this is a Georgian abbreviation of the word Foliferous ( folium = leaf, fero= to bear ) which would indicate possibly English origin. This purely an educated guess at this time unfortunately, I need more info. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

 

[lilmosun]

I appreciate the attempt! I will see if I can get more details over the weekend.

 

[lilmosun]

I just found out with the macro zoom setting on my camera. I will try to do it on paper later if this doesn't help.

It doesn't seem like its the the first letter in Folif is an F after all.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Blimey, I need to get a new camera Yes that looks a lot different & no it doesn't say folif. What I think it does say though is ITALY, the bottom picture is the one I am referring to. To me it looks like ( d170 ITALY ) the last bit is too poorly stamped though. Based on this I have come up with a very plausible name for you to search and I think you will see a very similar piece to yours on view. SPRITZER & FUHRMAN gold & enamel brooches, is what you need to google, sorry about the lack of links but I'm still a proper novice on the computer This would make it mid 20th century ( looks like the rude lady could have been right ) Hope this helps

 

[oldminer]

Looks like "ITALY K18" Not at all sure about the "folif" part of the lettering. Such stamping would make the item newer than Victorian era, I believe.

 

[lilmosun]

THANK YOU SO MUCH...

Yes, I assumed it was 20th century and when I first bought it, I thought it was possibly Italian but couldn't find enamel pieces from Italy that looked similar. So all is good.

I see the one on ebay that you are referring to needfullshiny things: http://www.ebay.com/itm/vtg-SPRITZE...592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce2bdca00. Looks like mine is likely made by the same company but not for Spritzer & Fuhrman since I don't have the S+F imprint? But if S+F, then your Dutch thought was spot on since they grew their business in the Curacao (part of the Netherland Antilles). Also laughing that you say you aren't computer savvy but found this

I paid 50% more for mine (know I can't compare since mine is a larger piece) but it was more about trying to find out something about the origins. Now I feel like I am back on track with the search...off to see if I can take this lead and find out more.

 

[needfullshinythings]

Hi oldminer, do you have any suggestions on the direction I have pointed the OP towards ? Spritzer & Fuhrman fits the era and also the style of work, they liked using small ruby accents on their enamel floral brooches and the floral work is very similar. I'm no expert in this field, more like a keen enthusiast Knowledge is good, I'm always willing to learn something new