Antique Brooch... need help identifying

Not sure where to put this, so I went with general chit chat. Mods, please move if neccessary.


My fiancee found a brooch on a city bus about 25 years ago and it has been sitting and collecting dust since then. Could be nothing other than costume jewelry, but I suspect otherwise. Only thing I know for sure is that she was told by someone that since the bottom of the diamond settings are open, that's usually only done for real diamonds. We will take it to a respected jeweler before long, but I wanted to see what ATS could come up with first:


Top side:



Back side:




What say you?? Fake or real?

Most high priced jewelry comes with a defining mark so jewelers can identify the make of it. If the gems in this piece are real, I would say they aren't diamonds, but maybe some kind of precious gem like sapphire or tourmaline.

That being said, I really hope you have some kind of Antiques Roadshow moment, and the brooch is carats and carats of fancy yellow diamonds.

ETA - or even rhinestones.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Vintage rhinestone jewelry, they made it better in times past - hence the open settings to let the light in so it shines. The metal is obviously not white gold or sterling, and no one would set real gemstones into base metal. For a while I sold lots and lots of vintage rhinestone jewelry on ebay. Check ebay yourself and you'll find many similar items.

Are there any maker marks? A pretty vintage brooch with a designer hallmark in very nice condition may fetch you $20-$50.

If you'd like to clean it, a short soak in rubbing alcohol and a gentle scrub with a soft toothbrush can bring out the sparkle. I'd say wear it and enjoy it

we just tried a scratch test..... the "diamonds" scratch lines in glass,,, for what that's worth.

The suspense is killing me.... going to take it to a jeweler soon lol.

Not to spoil your fun, but glass can scratch glass.

What you have is a fancier version of this ...

ebay listing for old rhinestone pin

You'll see the back of both items looks the same.

Add it to a fancy hat or pin a scarf with it and show it off

a reply to: eeyipes


I am hoping that maybe its a collectible type of old costume jewelry.... anything better than that is a plus.

a reply to: RickinVa

They ain't diamonds unfortunately, not set in that metal

Now if it was platinum or white gold i'd be excited for you...

a reply to: RickinVa

Probably German Rhinestones. They are sufficient sparklers that many broaches were made with these stones in open settings. Still a nice find, the Germans source for these particular stones is tapped out, I think.

Look at it this way, if someone could afford that many diamonds they wouldn't be riding the bus. If they are Rhinestones (quartz), they will scratch glass, quartz is harder than glass.

a reply to: RickinVa

Trust me, that is costume jewelry! Here's one similar to yours but a better quality made by Weiss
Also, diamonds shine like nothing else - no matter how old they are AND any fine jewelry would have the makers mark visible.

originally posted by: eeyipes
a reply to: Atsbhct

Vintage rhinestone jewelry, they made it better in times past - hence the open settings to let the light in so it shines. The metal is obviously not white gold or sterling, and no one would set real gemstones into base metal. For a while I sold lots and lots of vintage rhinestone jewelry on ebay. Check ebay yourself and you'll find many similar items.

Are there any maker marks? A pretty vintage brooch with a designer hallmark in very nice condition may fetch you $20-$50.

If you'd like to clean it, a short soak in rubbing alcohol and a gentle scrub with a soft toothbrush can bring out the sparkle. I'd say wear it and enjoy it

Bingo! It is not real diamonds. A vintage rhinestone broach or reproduction perhaps.

originally posted by: RickinVa
a reply to: eeyipes


I am hoping that maybe its a collectible type of old costume jewelry.... anything better than that is a plus.

They certainly are collectible, and collecting them can get addictive. I don't see a maker's mark on this one, I'd guess an eBay price of $10-$15 for it. For a while when the economy was better and antique hunting was more of a "thing" they would sell for more. Gather a whole bunch of vintage rhinestone pins in many colors and shapes and stuff a shadow box full of 'em - makes for a very pretty decoration.

EEyipes is right on, I've been collecting and selling vintage jewelry for over 40 years and that is a pin from the 1950's.

Enjoy wearing it, it will looking fab on a coat in the Winter months.

I aswell do a lot of antique junking. I have come across pins similar to this many times. The best thing i found was to take it to a reputable antique dealer, often they know the exact year it was made, for what type of occasion it would be worn or used.
a lot of what we call costume jewlery now can be worth quite a bit.