American Mixed Metals Multi-Toned Gold and Diamond Leaf Pin, circa 1900

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American Mixed Metals Multi-Toned Gold and Diamond Leaf Pin, circa 1900

About the Item

This hand-crafted multi-tone gold leaf-motif brooch uses the mixed metals technique practiced in turn-of-the-century Newark, New Jersey - back when Newark was a center of the jewelry industry with craftsmanship rivaling that of fine French and Italian houses. The colorful metal mixture was achieved by individually applying numerous distinct metal alloys to produce a variety of colors. In keeping with the leaf design, green gold is the most prominent - with other autumn colors including golden yellows, copper and purple tones, browns and subtle oranges. The metal is intricately hand-detailed - close-up photography reveals not just the etched veins branching from the central white metal stem, but the numerous tiny indentations that texture the face of the leaf (a technique called chasing that involves a jeweler lightly hammering individual indentations - typically while the metal is heated enough to make it more malleable but not enough to melt it). It is accented by 5 old mine cut diamonds of approximately .05cts apiece. The piece is un-marked; markings of any sort were uncommon in Newark production prior to the 1900s. The back of the pin tests approximately 12.7k. The multi-toned gold front face contains numerous alloys of differing purities, emulating the color variations of an autumn leaf. Testing revealed gold alloys ranging from 12.7k to 20.4k and at various increments in between. The White stem traveling through the center of the leaf (as well as the white that alternates with the brown gold stripes near the base), appears to be an alloy of platinum, silver, gold, and copper - presumably concocted to visually emulate pure platinum but with a lower melting point, as a jeweler's torch hot enough to melt pure platinum was not introduced until several years after 1900. Feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Metal:
Gold,Mixed Metal
Stone:
Diamond
Stone Cut:
Old Mine Cut
Dimensions:
Width: 0.7 in (17.78 mm)Length: 1.95 in (49.53 mm)
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1900
Condition:
Repaired: The pin had a small crack repaired many years ago. The crack is difficult to see from the front (and I initially thought it part of the decoration); on the last photo, halfway up on the right, see a black mark indicating the location of the repair. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: Texas1stDibs: LU1948210491432