Cattleya Orchid Brooch with selling Pink Crystal, 900 Silver, Possibly Columbian

Pure love and affection, innocence, rare beauty, wealth and nobility. One flower means all of these to various cultures of the world, the cattleya orchid.

Here is a delicate and lovely depiction of this exotic bloom, in silver and with a pink crystal accent.

Our brooch is molded from 900 silver and most likely came from Columbia, which considers the cattleya orchid as its national flower. For the Columbians, this bloom is the "Queen of Orchids". As it is endemic in the region, it is a popular adornment for festivities all year round, thus is invariably referred to as the "Flor de Mayo" (May Flower) and the Christmas flower.

Older and antique jewelry (from the first half of the 20th century) used 800 and 900 silver. Our pin's plain c-clasp also indicates its old age.

This pin, like the flower, is delicate. The silver used for the petals is almost paper thin, beautifully cut out to show the orchid's graceful petals. Two of its five petals, which are larger, are even crimped, imitating the real thing. Not sure how it's possible, but the silver hues in our orchid even has gradations, lighter along the center and darker along the petals' tips. The two large petals even have center lines that selling are visibly shiny, while around them, the backdrop seems lightly frosted, maybe with pale enameling.

This orchid is usually purple or pinkish purple in hue in real life. Our orchid pin has a pink crystal accent for its "lip".

The brooch measures 2 3/4" tall and 1 3/4" wide. It has a plain c-clasp with a long pin (another mark of early 20th century jewelry). It is marked "900" at the base of the clasp.

For its age, in well-preserved condition. I am amazed at the gradations of color, patina and enameling. The pink crystal (which reminds me of a shade that was used in Eisenberg pieces) is still glittery.