A regal purple amethyst dazzles in this gorgeous Victorian tassel brooch! Set in rich yellow gold, this dynamic brooch is embellished with elegant taille d'epargne enamel flourishes, or black enamel tracery. The design places it in the 1860s or 1870s, when the mourning process was significantly expressed through fashion. Adding purple elements to black mourning attire was a graduation in the mourning process: women would wear solid, heavy blacks in the intitial grieving period, adding accents and embellishments in shades of purple as time passed. This brooch, with its playful, silky soft hanging tassel, bright gold and soft curves and scrolls was meant to adorn someone near the end of their formal grieving period: it is reverent yet bright, bridging memory and hope for the future. Today it remains a gleaming beauty, its stunning gem rivaled only by its incredibly crafted setting. It styles well on a lapel, breast pocket, or even collar!

• Made around 1870
• 14k yellow gold
• Genuine amethyst
• Taille d'epargne enameling (as-is)
• Measures 1 5/8" x 2 5/8"
• Pinback is rolled gold, safety clasp added later

Inventory# P20337