During times of economic stress or uncertainty, some people seek comfort in the "perceived security" of precious metals. They pour their wealth into gold or silver—rather than investing in real estate, bonds or the Stockmarket. Today's price of silver—though it zig-zags up and down by the hour—has rocketed to recent highs (as has gold). Investors believe that precious metals will hold their inflated value (which, over the long term, has never been true).
I hate the "commodification" of silver. It tends to reduce a beautifully-handcrafted, antique silver object to the base value of its component materials. Establishing the value of a piece of jewelry (or sculpture or candlesticks) based upon the object's weight, alone, seems the height of philistinism, to me. Shouldn't a beautiful object also be judged by its design? Its craftsmanship? Its taste level? Its usefulness? Imagine setting the price for your favorite Van Gogh painting based on the weight and value of the oil paint.
Over the coming week, we'll be sharing some of our favorite silver brooches—in recognition of the current vigor within the silver market. But we will always value good design, beautiful craftsmanship, and sublime taste—regardless of how heavy the silver brooch happens to be.
The Victorian English silver brooch, shown above, was made in the 1880's or 1890's. The silver roundel was hand-engraved with ivy leaves against a textured background. It would look handsome on any coat lapel—worn by a woman or a confident man. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.