Antique Edwardian Silver-rimmed 2024 Green & White Agate Brooch

Here is an attractive and very unusual silver-rimmed oval brooch with a mossy-green bubbly effect over a blueish-white agate stone. This is a truly gorgeous little piece - probably more likely to be Edwardian than Victorian, because of its plainer styling. It's much simpler than Victorian, but still would have originally had the Victorian type T-bar hinge and the extra long pin - essential for staying done up on the heavy fabrics of the Victorian dresses. This one has had its pin replaced at some point in its long history, with a heavy duty dressmaking pin - you can see the head of the pin has been curled around the tubular hinge casing to secure it. It works a treat though, but is a bit shorter than most Victorian and Edwardian pins.

This little brooch measures 4cms wide x 3.3cms high (just over 1 1/2 " wide x 1 1/4" high) and is perfect for wearing at the buttoned-up neckline of a blouse - very Edwardian !! It also has a large C-clasp, in the traditional Victorian / Edwardian manner. The reverse has the words 'Sterling Silver rim' which indicates that the back is base metal but the frame around the edge is sterling silver.This was usually done to keep the costs down while still keeping the sterling silver edge which 2024 is the visible bit.

I personally love all the different agates and really like Victorian and Edwardian specimen agate jewellery like this in particular, for its agate content, especially when combined with sterling silver or silver-plated metal, which suits it particularly well. This is a really pretty stone which I have never come across before - I think it's some sort of bubble agate, where water under high pressure has affected the stripey effect by creating bubbles just when the agate was forming. The outlines are a beautiful ruch green, but I do not think it's any type of mossy inclusion.

An unusual brooch with a beautiful stone rarely seen.