Month: December 2024

Joden Girl

Baubles, Bling and Meaningful Things

Numbers are often quite significant – the first one that came to mind when I discovered this week’s blog piece was 104.  That relatively small value represents the amount of years that have passed since the 20th amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote.  According to census results, there are approximately 300-450 people alive today that are 105 years old. Those people, who are still alive, were born just before women earned the right to vote.  It’s an absolutely mind-blowing fact.  

The National Women’s Party in the United States adopted a lovely trio of colors to represent their cause.  Taking a page from the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union) who used purple, white and green, the NWP chose purple, white and gold.  The purple stood for dignity, white for purity, and gold for hope.  Gold was inspired by the sunflower which had been the symbol of Kansas suffragettes since 1867.

This lovely little brooch employs this powerful color trio beautifully.  Measuring just 1.5 inches across and .75 inches from top to bottom, it’s small but mighty.  Pins like this were worn to show support of the movement.  The warm tone of 14-karat yellow gold was fashioned into a softly scalloped edge and gently curving lines – the perfect frame for the oval amethyst center stone.  With a pair of luminous pearls decorating the east and west ends, this pin offers all the appeal of the Art Nouveau era.  

The c-shaped curve of the pin stem has been etched with the hallmark shown above… a 14B encapsulated inside of a double oval halo.  The symbol of the Brassler Company, this mark is crisp and clear.  Hans Brassler descended from a long line of jewelers and studied at Académie Julian in Paris.  After finishing his schooling, Brassler emigrated to the United States in 1902 to work as a designer for Tiffany & Co.  In 1909, Brassler stepped out on his own, joined with partners and formed the Brassler Company in Newark, NJ. Brooches like this, custom-designed by Hans himself, were the lifeblood of the company.  This small firm was later acquired by Jones and Woodward.  Just a short time later, that company was acquired by Krementz… arguably one of the most important jewelers of the past century.  

Crafted around 1910, this brooch surely must have a story to tell.  I wonder who wore it?  Did they wear it with pride to protests and rallies; or was it worn quietly and subtly, silently supporting the fight for equal rights?  If you too find solace in the battle cry of those tumultuous times – “Deeds Not Words” – then perhaps this dainty darling is for you.  Priced at just $975.00, this piece of history can be yours…  call or stop by to claim.

“You can go to a museum and look, or come to us and touch.”

Written by Carrie Martin

Photos by Dana Jerpe