Antique Pendant-Brooch with Amethyst, Pearls, and Peridot in Gold

As the suffragettes fought for greater rights for women in the early years of the 20th century, a particular color scheme soon became their symbol: green, white, and purple. One of the leading figures of the women’s movement, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, had proposed this combination for symbolic reasons. In 1908, she wrote: “Purple, as everyone knows, is a royal colour. It stands for the royal blood that flows through the veins of every suffragist, for the instinct for freedom and dignity; white stands for purity in private and public life; green is the colour of hope and spring.” Shortly thereafter, in 1910, the Union Labor Advocate—the journal of the National Women’s Trade Union League—announced that the colours were also meant to form an acronym. If one took the first letters of the colours green, white, and violet, they could also stand for “Give Women the Vote”—the very cause for which the suffragettes were fighting. This, too, contributed to the further popularization of the colour scheme. As a symbol of their cause, women wore ribbons in these colours, as well as clothing, sashes, and even precious jewellery. British jewelry firms such as Child & Child and Mappin & Webb, as well as the famous department store Liberty, sold pieces of jewellery in the suffragettes’ colours in the early years of the 20th century. The piece of jewellery shown here, which can be worn as both a pendant and a brooch, shines in precisely these colours. It features white pearls, a violet amethyst, and a large, vivid green peridot. The design surrounds the peridot with vines and leaves in the style of the early 20th century, which was also influenced by Art Nouveau in Great Britain. The pendant is crafted from 15-karat gold, a typically British alloy that was used only until 1932. A closer look at the details reveals that the amethyst, along with its setting and the loop at the top, were added to this antique piece of jewellery only recently. The connection to the history of the suffragettes was therefore established at a later date. Nevertheless, as a tribute to this important era, this piece of jewellery was very good.

Estimate:$1,448.61

View all items fromHofer AntikschmuckorJewelry & Gems