Butterfly wing jewelry is something I've been chasing for a couple of years now. Recently my husband bought me a very nice piece for my birthday, and I couldnt be happier. As a person who loves stones in general, I never thought that I could be atracted to the more " Organic" jewelry, but Butterfly jewelry changed my heart.
There are generally 3 kinds of antique butterfly wing jewelry.
1.) Jewelry that actually contains a whole butterfly. This could be on a background of another butterfly's wing and/or there could be pressed flowers with it. The jewelry that is like this usually a good sized circular pendant.
2.) Morpho Butterfly jewelry with scenes " reverse" painted on it. Western scenes, tropical scenes... even scenes with people and animals. These are personally the least desireable to me. They reek of kitch, and I could never imagine wearing one. These come in all varieties. Ring, necklace, earrings, bracelet. This is more flexible than the whole butterfly.
3.) Morpho Butterly jewelry that has not been altered. The pure electric blue of the natural wing is allowed to showcase it's own beauty. Versatile, but much more expensive than the painted variety.
I own an unaltered pendant manufactured by the Thomas Mott company. It reads: "TLM Sterling England" and I have good reason to belive that it was manufactured in the 1930s.
http://imageevent.com/thejewelryring/butterflywingjewelry
The old pieces date from the twenties and thirties and are English. Most of them are brooches, and a smaller number are pendants (judging by size, and the fact that charm bracelets were not popular in the twenties). Although the patent for reverse-painted jewelry with a butterfly-wing background was issued earlier, the jewelry became popular in 1924 because of an exhibit at the British Empire Exhibition by the firm Thomas L. Mott (the same company as TLM, known to charm-lovers for their enamels). Hoffman started making butterfly-wing jewelry in the late thirties and is still making it, I believe, pretty much all hex signs at this point. The quality is fairly good, though not what it was--and nothing is hand-painted, as all the old English stuff was.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Land/2970/butterflywing.html
Most of the old butterfly jewelry that is on the market today was apparently made by a few British firms in the late 1920s and early 1930s. These included Thomas L. Mott Ltd., Henry W. King & Son and Owen Brothers. Two other companies were located in Bermuda (Crisson) and France (Morpho).
Although jewelry made of insects dates back to ancient times, Thomas Mott's exhibit at the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 is credited with making butterfly jewelry all the rage. Mott, which was founded in 1875, acquired Henry W. King in 1925 and Owen Brothers in 1933, making it the largest producer of butterfly wing jewelry. In addition to plain butterfly wing, some jewelry incorporates reverse painting techniques.
In 1922, Shipton Co. of Birmingham, England, applied for a patent with the following specifications: The invention uses real butterfly wings for the production of coloured pictures on glass sheets or surfaces... being first painted or otherwise fixed upon the back of a glass sheet so as to have transparent or substantially transparent portions or space to be subsequently filled in with real butterfly wings applied against the back of the glass sheet to give the desired colour effects. Reverse painted pieces may be stamped PT 202212 or PAT Aug 1924. (Some pieces of butterfly jewelry were mistakenly stamped PT 220213 which is, in fact, the patent for Corona Typewriter Inc. Anti-friction ball carriers for typewriters dated Dec. 3, 1923). The reverse painting on some of the older pieces is intricate and beautiful however, most "souvenir" and modern pieces are either the Rio de Janeiro skyline or the palm tree & sunset motif.
Another decorative technique combined butterfly wings with sulphide bas-relief figures. A sulphide clay plaque of figures or scenes was created and sandwiched between glass and a backing of wing. Sulphides are more commonly seen in marbles and paper weights.
Butterfly jewelry signed Hoffman has been made for a number of years. Old pieces apparently date back to 1938 but new pieces were being sold at the Amish Farm & Home Gift Shop in Lancaster, PA, very recently. Hoffman's older pieces range from the typical palm tree & sunset motif to the very attractive art deco or arts & crafts style frames. Their new pieces have an Amish motif.
When buying butterfly jewelry, look for old, well-made, signed pieces in gold or sterling silver settings. The glass crystal should be tight. Any back painting should be clear and intact and the butterfly wing background should be fully iridescent, not brown or black.
The information on this web page came from: "Butterfly Jewelry: New Finds of an Old Fashion" in HERITAGE, a quarterly report on antique and period jewelry and watches that was included in the May 1994 issue of JEWELERS CIRCULAR-KEYSTONE. There has been another more recent article written by Janet Lawwill for the Spring 2001 issue of the VINTAGE FASHION AND COSTUME JEWELRY NEWSLETTER.
The butterfly that was harvested for these pieces is called the "Morpho" butterfly and it exists in South America. Companies that manufactured this jewelry in the 1930s would import the butterflies for $5 a piece. Not a lot of money today, but in the '30's, that was a good chunk of change.
More on the Morpho:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpho_(butterfly
The commoner (Blue) Morphos are reared en masse in commercial breeding programmes. The iridescent wings are used in the manufacture of jewellery and as inlay in woodworking. Papered specimens are sold with the abdomen removed to prevent its oily contents from staining the wings. Significant quantities of live specimens are exported as pupae from several neotropical countries for exhibition in butterfly houses. Unfortunately, due to their irregular flight pattern and size, their wings are frequently damaged when in captivity.
If that seems cruel to you, please reflect upon this... with the exceptance of corals and woods, organic materials such as fur, horn, bone, feather or butterfly wing are all comming from an animal who's life would eventually come to an end. In the Morpho's case... 137 days. Do I condone horrible practices like fur-farms or ivory poaching? Certainly not.
But, when you are buying a vintage item, consider the fact that an animal such as a fox has not been recorded to live for 50-60 years. A butterfly for longer than 137 days. Somehow the item had to be made, but in buying vintage, you are not directly contributing to the horrors of today. Somebody has already been there before you. In fact, it seems more responsible to "recycle" vintage items for modern tastes in this way.
And in the end, personal preference is what it's all about...if you do not like organic jewelry, dont buy it. But if you do... and butterfly wings hold a certain charm for you, then buy vintage. Not only will the quality and the craftsmanship be better, but you can feel like a responsible human being as well.
There are generally 3 kinds of antique butterfly wing jewelry.
1.) Jewelry that actually contains a whole butterfly. This could be on a background of another butterfly's wing and/or there could be pressed flowers with it. The jewelry that is like this usually a good sized circular pendant.
2.) Morpho Butterfly jewelry with scenes " reverse" painted on it. Western scenes, tropical scenes... even scenes with people and animals. These are personally the least desireable to me. They reek of kitch, and I could never imagine wearing one. These come in all varieties. Ring, necklace, earrings, bracelet. This is more flexible than the whole butterfly.
3.) Morpho Butterly jewelry that has not been altered. The pure electric blue of the natural wing is allowed to showcase it's own beauty. Versatile, but much more expensive than the painted variety.
I own an unaltered pendant manufactured by the Thomas Mott company. It reads: "TLM Sterling England" and I have good reason to belive that it was manufactured in the 1930s.
http://imageevent.com/thejewelryring/butterflywingjewelry
The old pieces date from the twenties and thirties and are English. Most of them are brooches, and a smaller number are pendants (judging by size, and the fact that charm bracelets were not popular in the twenties). Although the patent for reverse-painted jewelry with a butterfly-wing background was issued earlier, the jewelry became popular in 1924 because of an exhibit at the British Empire Exhibition by the firm Thomas L. Mott (the same company as TLM, known to charm-lovers for their enamels). Hoffman started making butterfly-wing jewelry in the late thirties and is still making it, I believe, pretty much all hex signs at this point. The quality is fairly good, though not what it was--and nothing is hand-painted, as all the old English stuff was.
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Land/2970/butterflywing.html
Most of the old butterfly jewelry that is on the market today was apparently made by a few British firms in the late 1920s and early 1930s. These included Thomas L. Mott Ltd., Henry W. King & Son and Owen Brothers. Two other companies were located in Bermuda (Crisson) and France (Morpho).
Although jewelry made of insects dates back to ancient times, Thomas Mott's exhibit at the British Empire Exhibition of 1924 is credited with making butterfly jewelry all the rage. Mott, which was founded in 1875, acquired Henry W. King in 1925 and Owen Brothers in 1933, making it the largest producer of butterfly wing jewelry. In addition to plain butterfly wing, some jewelry incorporates reverse painting techniques.
In 1922, Shipton Co. of Birmingham, England, applied for a patent with the following specifications: The invention uses real butterfly wings for the production of coloured pictures on glass sheets or surfaces... being first painted or otherwise fixed upon the back of a glass sheet so as to have transparent or substantially transparent portions or space to be subsequently filled in with real butterfly wings applied against the back of the glass sheet to give the desired colour effects. Reverse painted pieces may be stamped PT 202212 or PAT Aug 1924. (Some pieces of butterfly jewelry were mistakenly stamped PT 220213 which is, in fact, the patent for Corona Typewriter Inc. Anti-friction ball carriers for typewriters dated Dec. 3, 1923). The reverse painting on some of the older pieces is intricate and beautiful however, most "souvenir" and modern pieces are either the Rio de Janeiro skyline or the palm tree & sunset motif.
Another decorative technique combined butterfly wings with sulphide bas-relief figures. A sulphide clay plaque of figures or scenes was created and sandwiched between glass and a backing of wing. Sulphides are more commonly seen in marbles and paper weights.
Butterfly jewelry signed Hoffman has been made for a number of years. Old pieces apparently date back to 1938 but new pieces were being sold at the Amish Farm & Home Gift Shop in Lancaster, PA, very recently. Hoffman's older pieces range from the typical palm tree & sunset motif to the very attractive art deco or arts & crafts style frames. Their new pieces have an Amish motif.
When buying butterfly jewelry, look for old, well-made, signed pieces in gold or sterling silver settings. The glass crystal should be tight. Any back painting should be clear and intact and the butterfly wing background should be fully iridescent, not brown or black.
The information on this web page came from: "Butterfly Jewelry: New Finds of an Old Fashion" in HERITAGE, a quarterly report on antique and period jewelry and watches that was included in the May 1994 issue of JEWELERS CIRCULAR-KEYSTONE. There has been another more recent article written by Janet Lawwill for the Spring 2001 issue of the VINTAGE FASHION AND COSTUME JEWELRY NEWSLETTER.
The butterfly that was harvested for these pieces is called the "Morpho" butterfly and it exists in South America. Companies that manufactured this jewelry in the 1930s would import the butterflies for $5 a piece. Not a lot of money today, but in the '30's, that was a good chunk of change.
More on the Morpho:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpho_(butterfly
The commoner (Blue) Morphos are reared en masse in commercial breeding programmes. The iridescent wings are used in the manufacture of jewellery and as inlay in woodworking. Papered specimens are sold with the abdomen removed to prevent its oily contents from staining the wings. Significant quantities of live specimens are exported as pupae from several neotropical countries for exhibition in butterfly houses. Unfortunately, due to their irregular flight pattern and size, their wings are frequently damaged when in captivity.
If that seems cruel to you, please reflect upon this... with the exceptance of corals and woods, organic materials such as fur, horn, bone, feather or butterfly wing are all comming from an animal who's life would eventually come to an end. In the Morpho's case... 137 days. Do I condone horrible practices like fur-farms or ivory poaching? Certainly not.
But, when you are buying a vintage item, consider the fact that an animal such as a fox has not been recorded to live for 50-60 years. A butterfly for longer than 137 days. Somehow the item had to be made, but in buying vintage, you are not directly contributing to the horrors of today. Somebody has already been there before you. In fact, it seems more responsible to "recycle" vintage items for modern tastes in this way.
And in the end, personal preference is what it's all about...if you do not like organic jewelry, dont buy it. But if you do... and butterfly wings hold a certain charm for you, then buy vintage. Not only will the quality and the craftsmanship be better, but you can feel like a responsible human being as well.
3 comments:
I just want ot Thank you for the amount of information you provided in your page! I originally thought that my brooch had an ivory Fairy in it, but now think it is sulphide clay plaque. Thank you again, Leah
Thank you for your informative text.
I am curious about what I think is an Italian-made double-sided pendant in a gold finish beaded metal bezel of butterfly-wing with a real little whitish butterfly on one side and plain wing on the other side. It measures 1" long and 1/2" wide. Unfortunately it shows a bit of what might be moisture damage but is still an attractive piece.
Any info you could provide would be helpful.
Ellen
I have a Mott pin. It has a little bird on it and on the reverse it is stamped "TM Co. Sterling Genuine butterfly wings" Wow!
Jenni Gaines
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