Share your favorites on Show & Tell

Coro sterling vermeil brooch with blue "gem"

In Costume Jewelry > Coro Jewelry > Show & Tell and Costume Jewelry > Costume Brooches > Show & Tell.
beautiful design35 of 381939 Argus C3Rail road Map
13
Love it
0
Like it

TigraTigra loves this.
JoyBJoyB loves this.
RadegunderRadegunder loves this.
auraaura loves this.
kempkemp loves this.
kustomkarekustomkare loves this.
bkhood2bkhood2 loves this.
kbeddakbedda loves this.
vintagemadvintagemad loves this.
vintagejewelvintagejewel loves this.
HunterHunter loves this.
thriftfanthriftfan loves this.
See 11 more
Add to collection

    Please create an account, or Log in here

    If you don't have an account, create one here.


    Create a Show & TellReport as inappropriate


    Posted 12 years ago

    Deborah77
    (7 items)

    I know this a Coro vermeil brooch, but I am wondering about the manufacturing date. The "stone" is not foil-backed and I am thinking it must have been a Brazilian crystal from the time during WWII when it was tough to get crystals from Austria and other eastern European countries. Any thoughts? Also, any idea what it might be worth? I can't find anything like it to judge by. Thanks!

    Unsolved Mystery

    Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

    logo
    Coro Jewelry
    See all
    VTG RARE 1945 Coro Adolph Katz Fox Jelly Belly Sterling Silver Vermeil Brooch
    VTG RARE 1945 Coro Adolph Katz Fox ...
    $125
    Vintage U/S CORO Trembler Blue Green Flower Brooch Pave Rhinestones Enamel Rare
    Vintage U/S CORO Trembler Blue Gree...
    $15
    Vintage Vendome Water Lilly Brooch Beautiful!
    Vintage Vendome Water Lilly Brooch ...
    $53
    Vintage Coro duette green Lucite ? Flowers Pin Broach Fur Clip Jewelry
    Vintage Coro duette green Lucite ? ...
    $64
    logo
    VTG RARE 1945 Coro Adolph Katz Fox Jelly Belly Sterling Silver Vermeil Brooch
    VTG RARE 1945 Coro Adolph Katz Fox ...
    $125
    See all

    Comments

    1. thriftfan thriftfan, 12 years ago
      Check this link out...
      http://imageevent.com/clios_vintage_jewelry/coropatents/coromexico

      Beautiful!
    2. Deborah77, 12 years ago
      Wow! Thanks for that link. Now I am wondering if this could be Mexican. It would make sense because my late in-laws spent a lot of time there in the early days of their marriage and she had a lot of Mexican sterling in her jewelry collection. This brooch was part of her jewelry.

      Thanks so much! It is a bit large for my tastes, but I love the "gem" -- the color is really pretty and it has great sparkle. It is so interesting to find clues about the history of such pieces.
    3. vintagejewel vintagejewel, 12 years ago
      Great Stone!!
    4. Deborah77, 12 years ago
      Thanks -- I agree!
    5. RottenVintage RottenVintage, 12 years ago
      I would say the gem is glass not crystal, beautiful piece
    6. Deborah77, 12 years ago
      Thank you RottenVintage. I agree it is really pretty.

      Your comment about glass vs. crystal made me wonder about the actual definition of crystal (as in lead crystal or cut crystal -- not gems/minerals also called crystals), so I looked it up. I found several rather interesting articles (some much too complex for a short note like this), but in essence it comes down to the lead content of the glass, and to a certain extent, whether the glass has been molded or cut. According to most of the sources I checked, all crystal is considered glass, but not all glass is crystal (and the precise definitions can even change from country to country).

      Apparently, lead content from 4 to 10% is classified simply as glassware, while another category says that lead content of 8 to 10% may be called lead glass. To classify as a crystal, the lead content should range from 10 to 30%. Only crystals in excess of 30% lead may be truly classified as lead crystal. I should add that these are European standards. The United States requires only 1% lead to refer to the glass as "crystal ware". Other parts of the world fall somewhere in between the rigid European and the relatively lenient U.S. standards.

      Since another definer is the quality of the light transmission -- better refraction properties resulting from better cuts and higher lead content -- the only outward indicators of glass vs. crystal is the "sparkle" and the absence of obvious molding (the later usually in the form of flow lines or concentric rings in the glass). In the absence of certificates or jeweler's marks to prove it, the only 100% accurate determination of the quality and category would have to be chemical analysis.

      I am no expert, by any means and could very well be completely off-base on this, but I called it crystal primarily because it is obviously cut rather than molded and because it does have considerable sparkle -- making me think it must have some lead content as well.
      It is an interesting subject though, and one I would love to know more about.

      Thanks for starting me thinking!

    Want to post a comment?

    Create an account or login in order to post a comment.