Please help identify the blue stone in my antique brooch

[mtriplee]

I recently found this brooch at a local antique mall. I don’t know much about colored gemstones and was wondering what the stone might be.

From the style and clasp type, I’ve decided the brooch might have been made before 1915. The stone is included and appears to be an oec cut (fairly-high crown and small culet). From the color of the stone, I’d guess blue topaz.

 

[kgizo]

Lovely piece! Does the stone shift from light blue to dark blue IRL? If you have a loupe do you see any inclusions or bubbles? Are there any stamps on the brooch? Clasps are often good indicators of age, but what’s confusing me is the inner loop having sharp corners and the outer loupe being rounded. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in.

 

[mtriplee]

Thanks for your reply, kgizo!

It is light blue—more like the photo with the green background. Yes, I have a loupe and see inclusions.

It is stamped on the clasp: 14K and a maker's mark that I researched to be Kohn & Co (New Jersey). My photo of that isn’t very good, but its one of the stamps in the photo below (k in a box with bumped-out sides).

It is a lever safety (last photo below). Condition is so good that it’s confusing to me, but I believe they used fleur de lis in Edwardian-era design.

Lovely piece! Does the stone shift from light blue to dark blue IRL? If you have a loupe do you see any inclusions or bubbles? Are there any stamps on the brooch? Clasps are often good indicators of age, but the design doesn’t read pre-1915 to me. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in.

 

[marymm]

With the color zoning my first guess would be blue zircon, but could be a bi-color (blue/white) sapphire, or light blue topaz, or even a synthetic stone ...

Very pretty brooch, by the way!

I googled "Kohn & Co" and found an informative article on the company on the Wilson Estate Jewelry website
https://www.wilsonsestatejewelry.com/pages/henry-kohn-sons-jewelers

Kohn & Co did quality pieces so most likely the gemstone is natural -- depending on on your level of interest, time and budget, it might be worth sending to AGL Lab for a gem brief -- https://www.aglgemlab.com/gembrief

I hope you update us if/when the stone is identified!

 

[kgizo]

Nice find on the maker history, @marymm

I have seen fleur de lis on antique pieces so that makes sense. The outside tube, to me, feels out of place. The inside looks finely made. Perhaps it was on something that got damaged and someone saved it by putting it on the tube? Or, it could have been one of multiples (ie, a necklace with 5 stations) that was broken up to create 5 brooches for family members (I’ve seen this before). As to the good condition; if it was repurposed they likely polished it, it may have been a special piece that was infrequently worn, and it’s a brooch so less chance for wear/damage. It’s a great find!

 

[mtriplee]

With the color zoning my first guess would be blue zircon, but could be a bi-color (blue/white) sapphire, or light blue topaz, or even a synthetic stone ...

Very pretty brooch, by the way!

I googled "Kohn & Co" and found an informative article on the company on the Wilson Estate Jewelry website
https://www.wilsonsestatejewelry.com/pages/henry-kohn-sons-jewelers

Kohn & Co did quality pieces so most likely the gemstone is natural -- depending on on your level of interest, time and budget, it might be worth sending to AGL Lab for a gem brief -- https://www.aglgemlab.com/gembrief

I hope you update us if/when the stone is identified!

I appreciate your reply, @marymm !

I also came across the Wilson's Estate article after finally identifying the stamp on the clasp, and it made me more excited about my find!

Thank you for the info about the AGL gem brief. My initial investment in the brooch was so little that I may splurge and have this done.

 

[mtriplee]

Nice find on the maker history, @marymm

I have seen fleur de lis on antique pieces so that makes sense. The outside tube, to me, feels out of place. The inside looks finely made. Perhaps it was on something that got damaged and someone saved it by putting it on the tube? Or, it could have been one of multiples (ie, a necklace with 5 stations) that was broken up to create 5 brooches for family members (I’ve seen this before). As to the good condition; if it was repurposed they likely polished it, it may have been a special piece that was infrequently worn, and it’s a brooch so less chance for wear/damage. It’s a great find!

@kgizo, thanks for your reply!

Your take on the inside vs outside of the piece is interesting. I'm new to antique jewelry and am always wanting to learn more and better train my eye.

There is an antique jewelry boutique about an hour away from me. I may take the brooch in to see what they think about the construction, and the possibility that it could have been altered.

I have found that local jewelry stores have very little interest in vintage and antique pieces, even though some buy and sell many of them! They seem to only be interested in the weight of the metals and whether or not the diamonds are "triple x."

 

[VRBeauty]

I was also thinking zircon, due to the slight greenish tinge.

I’ve had colored gemstones tested by a pawnbroker before - a larger, older shop might have the necessary equipment (a refractometer, I think?). It’s been many years, but at the time the cost of testing was a fraction of what GIA would have charged. If you’re mostly just curious and don’t need a written report, that’s an avenue worth considering.

 

[mtriplee]

I was also thinking zircon, due to the slight greenish tinge.

I’ve had colored gemstones tested by a pawnbroker before - a larger, older shop might have the necessary equipment (a refractometer, I think?). It’s been many years, but at the time the cost of testing was a fraction of what GIA would have charged. If you’re mostly just curious and don’t need a written report, that’s an avenue worth considering.

Thanks for this idea. I'll look into it!

 

[LemonMoonLex]

I second blue zircon! It just has "that look".

 

[88_star]

If you can find a qualified appraiser in your area, that would be a much less costly option too than AGL if you don't need an official certificate. A trustworthy appraiser will have proper credentials (usually training from GIA or other equivalent organization, associated with NAJA if you're in North America, etc) and can correctly identify with a few tests what gem that is.

Just from color and the era that the piece looks like it could be, I would also guess zircon.

 

[CaseyLouLou]

That is almost definitely a blue zircon. I don’t think you need to spend money to identify it. It looks to have doubling of the facets which makes it look ‘blurry’ like zircons. They were commonly used in similar jewelry at that time. The color is right on. A jeweler should be able to identify it.

 

[mtriplee]

That is almost definitely a blue zircon. I don’t think you need to spend money to identify it. It looks to have doubling of the facets which makes it look ‘blurry’ like zircons. They were commonly used in similar jewelry at that time. The color is right on. A jeweler should be able to identify it.

I've been looking at ebay/etsy and auction sites, and I'd have to agree with the consensus of the PS experts.

What I thought were inclusions are actually the doubling of the facets. I'm seeing plenty of 1900s-1940s brooches containing very similar-looking blue zircons.

It's a fun piece to own--lovely as a brooch and as a pendant. It's also my first true find since I started antiquing.

Thanks, everyone, for your help!