- Description
- Specifications
- History
A piece of Australian history, attributed to jewellers Lamborn and Wagner, this 15ct yellow gold brooch features a decorative border of ivy with forget-me-not flowers and at the top, a central dove. Dated around the 1850s, this collectible piece of Australian colonial jewellery is a rare find, with most pieces having been melted down for scrap gold in hard times or the few remaining in our museums.
Circa: 1850s
Design Style: Colonial Australian
Jeweller: Unmarked - Lamborn and Wagner attributed
Material: 15ct Yellow Gold
Motifs: Ivy, forget-me-mot flowers & a doveAustralian Colonial 1788 - 1901:
Approximately 30 jewellers that came from Europe and Britain worked on the Australian gold fields and major cities in the 1850s. Employed by miners who had struck it rich, they created patriotic pieces of jewellery for men that included watch chains, stick pins, heavy gold rings and brooches for their wives and sweethearts.
For jewellery of this era, you will find the use of Australian motifs such as the Australian coat of arms featuring a kangaroo and emu or miners tools - picks, shovels, pans and gold nuggets. Brooches for women were highly detailed featuring unusual floral designs.
Australian Colonial jewellery is extremely rare and highly collectible with the majority of pieces having been melted for scrap gold throughout history in hard times and the rare few remaining pieces existing only in our museums.
