A Mid-Century American flower brooch that gets the details right. Six textured petals in a cross-hatched diagonal pattern radiate from a central faux pearl, the whole thing mounted on a gracefully curved stem that gives it a naturalistic, just-picked quality. The gold tone is warm and consistent, with no wear through to base metal. This is exactly the kind of piece that came out of the Providence jewelry industry at its peak.
The Catamore name on the back is worth knowing. Catamore Jewelry Co. operated out of Providence, Rhode Island from the early 1940s through 1981, and at one point manufactured all precious metal jewelry for Coro, one of the most recognized American costume jewelry brands of the 20th century. Pieces marked Catamore are signed, American-made, and from a producer with genuine craft credentials.
A note on gold-filled: the 1/20 12K G.F. mark means the gold layer is bonded to the base metal under heat and pressure at a minimum of 1/20th of total weight, using 12-karat gold. This is substantially thicker and more durable than gold plating, and well-made gold-filled pieces from this era routinely survive decades without wear-through. This one shows no signs of wear.
Details:
Center Stone:
Condition: Excellent estate condition. No wear-through on gold surface, no chips or cracks, clasp functions correctly and holds securely. Cleaned and ready to wear.
Why It Stands Out: The textured petal work is what separates this from generic flower brooches. Each petal has a fine diagonal crosshatch finish that catches light differently depending on angle, giving the piece more visual complexity than its simple silhouette suggests. Catamore's manufacturing quality shows in the weight and finish of the clasp mechanism, and the curved stem design keeps it from reading flat or static on a lapel. Estate origin, signed, excellent condition.