Brooch

Although botanical subjects occur frequently in jewellery the brown tones of this brooch and its choice of mushrooms and bullrushes is unusual. Their naturalistic treatment echoes earlier jewellery although the elegant, stepped line of brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds is unmistakeably Art Deco. The brooch has a rural rather than an urban feel, unlike much Art Deco jewellery, and it was perhaps intended to be worn with a brown tweed suit.

Brooch · Great Britain · 1920-1930. Platinum, gold, enamel, diamonds, sapphires, ruby, emerald and pearl. By Unknown. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.