Description
Gulp! I am blown away by this particularly beautiful statement brooch by Dorrie Nossiter. It is a celebration of pinks and reds with three large teardrop jammy red almandine garnets (complete with those flecks you like to find in almandines) and then no less than 6 faceted and bezel-set pink to red stones, which test as rubies on the Presidium gem tester. It is an enormous brooch and is just a fabulous thing!
Crafted in the 1930s. I rather believe a certain Mr Instone’s Langstone Silverworks was involved in the physical crafting of the piece to Dorrie’s design of course. It shows his touch in the decoration on the verso so please take a look. It is a very large horseshoe shaped brooch, which has Dorrie’s instantly recognisable stylised leaves in gold, complete with a draping tendril and small balls, also in gold.
The central section has those wonderful almandine garnet cabs, pointing to the central point, where there are lots of Dorrie’s tiny silver balls in a large cluster, seemingly spilling over the brooch. Two oval almandine garnets are placed above that and then we have those faceted rubies, which are lighter in colour-more pink, and when they catch the light they are lighter still.
The mark / stamp which appears on the reverse indicates that this was a piece Dorrie created for one of the large passenger liners, where some of her jewellery was sold for a while in the 1930s. I am trying to recall-I think it was the Queen Mary. Anyway I read in the past that some of those pieces were stamped up with the ship stamp and H.M.S. Indeed, I have sold a smaller brooch in the past with the same mark. This is clearly a higher-end piece so would have been destined for the rather wealthy passengers on the luxury liner. Oh, wish I could go back and enjoy that for a day!
All stones and silver / gold work are in excellent condition. This brooch measures approx 7.5cm by 4.6cm at its widest point. It came to me in the “Van Den Bosch” box you see in the images. They have a wonderful gallery in Mayfair, London so perhaps this statement piece was bought there originally? It was missing the silver safety chain so I have added an antique one I had in my supply store, so that she is complete again.
I shall send by Special Delivery within the UK (by courier internationally) in the original box in which I acquired it. Thank you.
