QuestionI have this old Lapel pin that is round and about the size of a quarter.It is a colbalt blue color. You can see through it as a solid color of deep blue from the back with a little bumpy surface. The front it is cut in a paisley pattern.The colors are of irodesent blue ,green and purple.
It hangs on a metal bow tie pin. The metal on the pin itself dosen't appear to be gold but the metal that is attached to the stone appears brighter.
What is this stone? and what might it be worth ?
AnswerG'day Sherry and many thanks for your query
Lapel Pins - Tie Pins and Stickpins are all basically the same item. Just depends where you live and what name you are used to. But one thing they should have in common is Hallmarks.
As you didn't mention any (plus you say the metal doesn't appear to be gold) I can only assume it is of base metal and plated. Might be worth trying the old 'Child's Magnet' test to see if it is attracted to the magnet - making it NOT gold or Silver. This has to be taken with a slight amount of caution though, as many items are made with a copper base, which is also non-magnetic. Still worth a try though.
What you have to understand is this: If the item is NOT gold, there is no way any jeweler is going to put a quality natural gemstone in it. Therefore the stone is probably paste (glass) or even an enamelled plate. The last choice would be one of the lesser gemstones, but in this color - unlikely.
A visit to your local FRIENDLY jeweler or Antique dealer should tell you more. The other way to identify it is to check out sites like eBay which have hundreds of jewelry categories to choose from until you find something similar.
The Antique Jewelry Fair website at: http://www.antique-jewelry-fair.com also has stickpins from time to time, so it's worth browsing occasionally.
Hope this helps.
