Schreiner Amethyst Keystone Ruffle Maltese Cross Brooch Pendant
United States · Amethyst Keystone Glass, Crystal Rhinestone
$5,999.95
- Maker
- Schreiner
- Origin
- United States
- Era
- Schreiner, New York · Keystone Ruffle · mid-1950s to 1973
- Materials
- Amethyst Keystone Glass, Crystal Rhinestone
- Condition
- Excellent vintage
- Provenance
- Unsigned, as most Schreiner is. The design has been verified by the Schreiner family against an identically designed and engineered brooch. In a discussion of the same design in another colorway, a family member confirmed the custom keystones were made in Germany by Czech refugee glassmakers and used in the house's creations, including the famous ruffle pin, from the mid-1950s until Schreiner closed in 1973. Weighs 60 grams. Converts to a pendant.
On this piece
Schreiner built jewelry the way no other American house did, setting stones from behind so they point outward and layering the work in ruffled tiers so light breaks in every direction instead of lying flat. This Maltese cross is that method at full ambition, built on the custom keystones the family had cut in Germany by Czech refugee glassmakers and used, on and off, from the mid-1950s until the house closed in 1973. It is unsigned, which is usual for Schreiner; the design has been verified by the Schreiner family against an identically designed and engineered brooch. It wears as a brooch or as a pendant, weighs a substantial 60 grams, and measures 2.5 inches wide by 2.75 inches tall. Excellent condition, with minor marks from age and a slight bend in the pin stem that can be corrected if you wish. Among the rarest work of the most technically inventive house in American costume jewelry.