Featured Tiny cameo pin

I’ve had this for years and always thought it was a costume piece, of costume materials. I looked at it again recently and realized an awful lot of work went into it even if costume. I don’t see air bubbles in the “glass” though. Is it possibly stone? The outer edge looks pretty gold like. I tested it with 10k acid. It did eventually do away with most of the material on the stone but took a long while and left remnants. Maybe really low karat is possible. The pearls appear to be real. The cross bar that holds the pin looks like it could be silver. Any thoughts or was my initial impression years ago right?

 

Sweet little piece. She has been dyed to that color, but still genuine agate ('hardstone'). The lady is not anyone in particular. These green ones seem always to be small. I see them in rings more often than as brooches. You may well find that the mount tests as gold. I see some of the little seed pearls have fallen away; doubt it would be noticeable when worn.

I have many times shown mine as an example of how dirt can make a piece look cheap & what wonders a bath can do.

 

M

Wow, what an amazing transformation!

Thanks for showing yours and sharing your knowledge. I don’t even recall where I got this. Glad I didn’t sell it as junk. Many times it was in the pile to get listed and just fell to the bottom and got skipped. It’s cool when you can go back and look at something with new eyes that you’ve had a long time. New eyes that have new informations and knowledge behind them. Not that’s it’s overly valuable now, I’m sure it’s not, but it’s not junk. Any idea on where/when made? 40’s?

 

Your lady is much nicer than mine, jealous!

 

Well, after all, my lady's a goddess.

 

Slightly earlier, I think. It has a safety clasp, but an earlier type. Mine has an art deco sensibility, so perhaps 20s into 30s. My little piece has a whole removable assembly that holds the pin on that allows it to become pendant.

 

Goddesses get kicked up the next grade of carver. Pretty ladies they’ll let any Joe Blow carve I guess. Is yours gold? Is it marked/signed?

 

Neither, but the quality of construction is encouraging for gold. I was wrong about the removable pin. That's on another tiny, round, pearl encircled one I have. The green Diana has the same clasp as yours.