Vintage 1920s store Art Nouveau Bohemian or Czechoslovakian Lacquered Brass and Glass Brooch

Vintage 1920s Art Nouveau Bohemian or
Czechoslovakian Lacquered Brass and Glass Brooch

A beautiful piece of Bohemian costume jewellery.
The brooch is set with a large faceted glass claw set cabochon surrounded by eight small claw set mounted faceted stones.
The brass mount has wonderful flamboyant curls
and the frame has a filigree style.
The sturdy pin on the reverse is held in place with a simple catch.
All in good vintage condition
with minimal wear to the glass.
Quite delightful.
The brooch measures 1 5/8 inches deep by 2 1/4 inches wide
weighs 11.4 grams.


Bohemia, which is now a part of the Czech Republic, played an important role in the history of costume jewelry. It was in glass center of Gablonz, at the end of the Victorian Era, that Austrian jeweler Daniel Swarovski introduced the first cut-glass crystals to successfully imitate the look of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

In 1892, Swarovski patented a mechanical glass cutter so his crystals could be mass-produced to meet the high demand.


Bohemian costume jewelers also pioneered a technique for replicating the look of pearls, which were enormously popular at the beginning of the 20th century. Instead of using glass, jewelery makers would cut mother of pearl into beads, which were then shaped and polished until they resembled the real thing.


But store glass remains the Bohemia region's most important contribution to costume jewelry. Beads rivaling those produced in Venice were strung into gaily-colored necklaces, which swung from the necks of flappers during the 1920s. Sometimes filigreed settings held a handful of singular glass stones. Other times, heavier rectangular brooches were crammed to their corners with rhinestones in emerald green, sapphire blue, amethyst purple, and ruby red.