http://collections.mfa.org/collections/419468/objects/rdfJWL.Early 20th Century Jewelryhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1529754/resize%3Aformat%3Dfullhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1450367/resize%3Aformat%3DfullApparitions broochabout 1899Henri VeverGold, enamelA gold and enameled brooch with man and woman's face emerging from stylized water. A female figure with blond hair appears in the foreground with eyes closed, and behind her is a man with eyes wide open and black enameled hair. The brooch is accompanied by its original fitted box. The box interior is printed with a notation recording Vever’s presence at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, but does not mention the 1900 Exhibition where this jewel was exhibited and sold. This, along with the enamel face (other versions of the brooch include carved ivory), may be an indication that this brooch preceded that event. Vever and Grasset were awarded the Grand Prix for their collaborative work shown at the 1900 Exposition Universelle.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/617326/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/998570/resize%3Aformat%3DfullBig Double Gold brooch1908John Paul CooperGold (15k), abalone, tourmaline, moonstone, pearl, amethyst, chrysopraseJohn Paul Cooper, a leading figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement, was an architect, designer, and metalsmith. Born into an affluent Leicester family, Cooper prepared for a career as a writer but was discouraged from pursuing this endeavor by his industrialist father. Instead, he apprenticed to London architect John D. Sedding, a strong proponent of the ideas of John Ruskin and Henry Wilson, an architect with interests in craft, especially metalwork and jewelry. Afterwards, Cooper joined the "Birmingham Group" and served as head of the Metalwork Department of the Birmingham Municipal Art School (1901–1906). He exhibited regularly at the Arts and Crafts Society exhibitions and completed several important public commissions, including two crosses and a pair of altar vases for Birmingham Cathedral. Additionally, his work often appeared in article published in Studio and Art Journal.Cooper's interest in jewelry design and fabrication began shortly after his association with Wilson. Like Wilson, he eventually employed others to fabricate his jewelry designs although he sometimes did the chasing and repoussé work himself. The jewelry was crafted primarily in 15 kt gold, utilizing semi-precious cabochons (domed, unfaceted stones) and mother-of-pearl. Unlike many Arts and Crafts jewelry designers, Cooper often worked his designs from a selection of stones, rather than creating a design and then finding suitable gems. He once commented that stones should "…play on one another as two notes of music..." In addition to jewelry, Cooper's workshop designed and fabricated ecclesiastical objects and various decorative arts, including hollowware and frames. Many of the objects incorporate unusual materials, such as coconut shell, ostrich-egg shell, and narwhal tusk. At the beginning of his career, he often used gesso and plaster modeling to decorate surfaces and, at the end of the 1890s, he began making wooden boxes which he covered with shagreen, a decorative veneer made from the skin of certain sharks and rays. This brooch is a major work by Cooper. Created during a period when the artist relied less on chased representational imagery and more on stones, the ornament conveys a sense of refined opulence. Inspired by medieval and Celtic design, the brooch is both airy and graceful. The goldwork is decorated with finely chased leaves and tendrils and the bezel-set stones include ruby, pearl, moonstone, amethyst, and chrysoprase. It took 273 hours to produce the brooch and Lorenzo Colarosi, Cooper's chief craftsman, was the primary fabricator. It's possible that Cooper did the chasework. The drawing for the brooch, which is dated 3 December 1908, can be found in Stockbook I, p. 81 in the Cooper Family Archives. Cooper entitled the piece Big double gold brooch. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/495555/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1525755/resize%3Aformat%3DfullBroochJessie Ames DunbarSilver, gold, red tourmaline (rubellite), amethyst, watermelon tourmaline(N/A - Not provided)http://collections.mfa.org/objects/655842/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1337285/resize%3Aformat%3DfullEmerald and diamond brooch (known as the Post Brooch)1929Oscar Heyman Bros.Platinum, diamond, emeraldThe platinum and diamond brooch features a 60-carat emerald at its center. Carved in India in the 17th century, the emerald displays iris blossoms on the front. The reverse, carved later, features a carnation flower. An agent of the American retailer Marcus & Co. purchased the emerald in Bombay in the 1920s—after it was likely removed from a more traditional Indian ornament. Suspended from the center of the brooch, the emerald is rounded on both sides and framed by a horizontal bar with two large table-cut emeralds and diamond swag with 13 tear-shaped emeralds drops. Oscar Heyman Bros. fabricated the brooch, and a pencil drawing of the design can be found in the company’s archives.This important ornament was owned by Marjorie Mariweather Post, a socialite and the owner of General Foods. Post was a serious collector of jewelry. Emeralds were a favorite and she purchased others around the same time in anticipation of her presentation at the Court of Saint James. While this carved emerald brooch never made it to her royal court presentation, it remained a treasured part of Post’s jewelry collection. She wore it in two painted portraits—one of which still hangs in her bedroom at Hillwood, her home-turned-museum outside Washington, DC—and in photographs throughout her lifetime. It was always prominently positioned at the center of a low-cut neckline and paired with other important necklaces, bracelets, and rings.Reproduced with permission.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/514985/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1017836/resize%3Aformat%3DfullHair ornament with antennaeabout 1900René LaliqueGold, silver, steel, and diamondThis hair ornament with its whimsical character is a unique piece by Lalique. It features the unusual exclusive use of diamonds which were sparingly used by the Art Nouveau jewelers who preferred less precious stones and enamel to provide color and opalescence. From the gold wire headband emerge two antenna composed of hollow silver cubes in which are set graduated brilliants each secured by four prongs. A steel wire runs through the cubes to form the curved shape of each antenna. Except for the scroll terminals of the antennae, each cube is individually mounted and stacked without being attached to each other so that they tremble when the wearer moves, accentuating the sparkle of the diamonds.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/500825/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1098359/resize%3Aformat%3DfullJapanesque broochabout 1925Lacloche FrèresPlatinum, gold, enamel, diamond, ruby, onyxThe brooch is designed as a pave-set, diamond rectangular plaque with onyx branches and buff-top ruby blossoms with a black enamel border. The diamonds are old, European cuts (est. carats 11.25) and the horizontal pin is removable. The brooch has its original Lacloche box. There is also a card printed "Marlborough House S.W.1 and a handwritten note "For Angela from Mary R, 1952." The date suggests that it was a wedding gift from Queen Mary to Angela Lascelles on her marriage to Hon. Gerald Lascelles, second son of Princess Mary and a grandson of George V.William Francis Warden Fundhttp://collections.mfa.org/objects/527423/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1529754/resize%3Aformat%3DfullJeweled casket1929Edward Everett OakesSilver, green gold, 143 amethysts, 86 Japanese pearls, 88 onyx; laurel wood baseThe rectangular paneled box is made of silver, green gold, 143 amethysts, 86 Japanese pearls, and 88 onyx, set on a laurel base. It has a hinged, slightly domed lid and round and faceted amethyst ball feet and sits on a narrow, two-tiered, shaped wooden plinth. Round columns form each of the four corners. Two pairs of channel-set amethysts intersect across the lid to create nine panels, at the center of which is a large faceted, elliptical amethyst, from which radiates rays of onyx and pearls. The amethyst bands continue down the sides of the box, where they flank triangular clusters of amethysts, onyx, and pearls; large rectangular amethysts form two shallow handles on the sides as part of these designs. At the base of each corner is a vertical cluster of graduated, rectangular onyx settings with pearls and auricular metalwork. Clusters of delicate gold foliate decoration are found throughout, and large pearls are featured prominently on the lid, at intersections of the amethyst bands and on each corner. The box is completely finished on the interior, allowing the user to see the amethysts that adorn the exterior inside the box and lid. Additional pearls mounted with supporting gold settings adorn the lid interior. Concave onyx settings in each corner of the lid are complemented by faceted amethyst stones lodged at the top of the four corner columns. A rectangular wooden tray with silver, gold, pearl, and onyx fittings rests inside. The interior of the base, including the tray, is lined with black velvet.This number refers to box and its interior tray. The artist also made a walnut box in which to store the jeweled casket (unnumbered).Reproduced with permission.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/288145/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1518956/resize%3Aformat%3DfullJeweled scroll broochabout 1920Frank Gardner HaleGold, zircon, diamond, sapphire, peridotElliptical shaped brooch with four central stones arranged vertically and flanked by gold scrolls and numerous smaller gemstones.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/112741/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1051996/resize%3Aformat%3DfullMarsh-bird brooch1901–02Charles Robert AshbeeGold, silver, enamel, moonstone, topaz, freshwater pearlThe brooch was originally a hair ornament that was converted to a brooch (silver pin stem and "C" hook added). Conversion probably occurred shortly after the ornament was made. The hair comb was fabricated by A. Gebhardt and enamelist William Mark, both members of the Guild of Handicraft.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/506941/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1529649/resize%3Aformat%3DfullNecklace1910–18Josephine Hartwell ShawGold, jade, glassPendant of two white jade tear-shaped carvings with nine squares and three rectangular green stones on a four strand chain interrupted by four groups of five and two groups of three rectangular green stones. Carved white jade clasp.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/41496/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1501854/resize%3Aformat%3DfullNecklaceabout 1905Marcus & Co.Gold, platinum, peridot, diamond, pearl, plique‑à‑jour enamelAmerican art nouveau inspired necklace featuring a large pendant with seven peridots, scrolling wirework, filled in with green plique-a-jour enamel, and diamond surrounds in platinum, with pearl accents on a gold chain. Pendant can also be worn as a brooch.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/634053/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1502024/resize%3Aformat%3DfullNecklaceAbout 1910Louis Comfort TiffanyBlack opal, demantoid garnet, sapphire, goldNecklace with a large black opal pendant with a sculpted gold grapevine surround that is enhanced by circular-cut demantoid garnets and sapphires. The pendant's reverse also features a gold garland around the grey-blue matrix of the opal. The long gold chain alternates between a double-strand chain, with demantoid garnets and sapphires, and gold grapevine details.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/651365/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1143513/resize%3Aformat%3DfullRenaissance revival longchain1900–04G. Paulding FarnhamPlatinum, gold, enamel, diamond, ruby, emerald, cat's eye, chrysoberyl, sapphire, and pearlLong gold, gemset, and enamel chain with arabesques and scrolling motifs evocative of Renaissance revival jewelry. The pastel color palate of greens, orange, and pinks is unexpected of this genre of jewelry, as is its design as a long chain rather than a connected necklace. The form is likely inspired from the chains worn by women in Renaissance portraiture which was sewn onto the dress to adorn the bodice. Farnham's revival-themed jewels were shown, to great acclaim, at the 1901 Buffalo Exposition.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/527177/rdfhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1010342/resize%3Aformat%3DfullSeaweed broochabout 1908Paul LienardGold, mabe pearlhttp://collections.mfa.org/objects/500790/rdf