If I ever get a compliment on a piece of tea jewelry, it's usually going to come from a fellow tea lover. That was the case when I wore this particular teapot pin a few weeks ago. It was a fairly inexpensive eBay find from an antiques seller in England who said it is Iranian/Persian in provenance. Now I have an active imagination, so I began drumming up a story in my head about some possible connection between uranium enrichment activities in Iran and my new pin. "Do you think it could be radioactive?" I asked my mom. She looked at me like I needed my head examined. Oh well ...
International intrigue aside, the filigree design is what I immediately fell in love with about this pin! Do you remember when filigree jewelry was all the rage back in, oh, the late seventies or so? I remember having several pieces of gold jewelry with a filigree design. I even like the word itself ... fil-i-gree. Pretty word, isn't it? I also like the bird design (bird of paradise, maybe?).
I'm certainly no expert on dating jewelry, but I do think the non-locking C-clasp on this pin makes it likely this is an older piece. The locking C-clasp (with that little piece that spins around to hold your pin in place) wasn't patented until 1901, although plain C-clasps did continue to be made. And that's all I know *for sure* about this piece!
That has to be the prettiest teapot pin I've ever seen! I too love the filigree.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really pretty pin. I like the filigree and the pretty china center. The stylized bird (phoenix ?)is lovely. I almost expected to see pomegranates instead of flowers when you mentioned its provenance.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm no expert on this, but I do remember filigree jewelry lasted into the 80s. How would a guy notice? That was when I was young and the right time to fall in love. --Teaternity
ReplyDeletei love the title of this blog post. sounds like you are a mystery writer and/or reader!
ReplyDeleteI love it & I've always loved filigree.
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