This Victorian English silver brooch, hallmarked Chester, 1887, is as much sculpture as it is jewelry. The deep crescent is laid-on with hand-engraved strap work, further embellished with scrolling botanical elements. The jagged perimeter adds an additional jolt of energy to the silhouette.
Whenever I've asked a British antiques trader to identify one of their hallmarks, they always seem to let out a bittersweet, "Oh, it's Chester..." upon discovering that city's chevron-shield hallmark bearing three wheat sheaves. Apparently, the assay (hallmarking) office in this charming city closed in 1962. To this day, English antiques dealers seem to fondly reminisce about this little town, near the Wales border (whether they have ever been there or not).
Chester was founded by the Romans in 79 AD, the same year Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii (elsewhere in the Roman Empire). The Romans built a fort here and began building the walls which surround the city. Many of these well-preserved walls still exist today. When William the Conqueror rolled-through England leading the Norman Conquest (beginning in 1066 AD), Chester was one of the last strongholds to fall.
Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome silver brooch.
More silver brooches tomorrow and in the days to come.
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.