Description
This antique 1890s-1910 pin is a fine example of the jewelry items made by Fratelli Peruzzi during the late Victorian to early Edwardian era. It is an Italian Giglio di Firenze (Florentine Lily), heraldic flower of Florence pin/brooch with its original Victorian C clasp still intact on the back. It is clearly 800 and guaranteed to be solid 800 Italian European Silver made by the Peruzzi family workshop. (More information on unsigned or worn Peruzzi signatures during this era below) The lily shape is indicative of a very fancy, aesthetic fleur de lis lily with multiple flourishes and engraved work throughout. Size is just about 1 3/16″ tall North to South by 3/4″ wide across the center East to West. You can tell this is very, very old as the back has 2 very tiny air holes as you would expect to find on 125 yr old jewelry with separately hand applied backs and rounded blown out Victorian tops. It came from an estate many decades ago where it was kept in excellent overall condition over the years. No damage. All original. No dents or dings. No scratches or gauges or tears to the silver. No repair. This is a gorgeous Victorian silver pin by aa very famous and well-known silverfor antique gold and silver jewelry collection.
AI:
Not all 800 silver items made by the Fratelli Peruzzi workshop or family members in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were signed. Why Some Early Peruzzi Pieces Lack Signatures/Handmade Workshop Practices: In the 1890s to 1900s, the family business—started by Giuseppe Peruzzi in Florence—operated as a small artisanal workshop. Stamping every single piece was not always strictly systematized.
Fading or Wear: Early stamps were often light, hand-punched, or shallow. Over a century of polishing, use, and natural wear can completely erase faint or tiny maker’s marks.
Type of Item: Smaller components, modular links in jewelry, or delicate dangles on decorative items sometimes only had room for a purity grade stamp (“800”) or were left completely unmarked.
Vent Hole information regarding antique jewelry:
1. The Victorian & Edwardian Eras (1840s–1910s)
The Style: This was the peak era for visible vent holes. Repoussé pins (where the design was hammered out from the back) and lightweight stamped-die brooches were incredibly popular. Silversmiths soldered a flat or slightly domed back plate over the hollow decorative front. The Holes: You will easily spot one or two small, clearly hand-drilled or punched holes on the back casing. . Jewelers did not worry about hiding them because they were on the back, and it was accepted as standard practice.
2. The Art Deco & Retro Era Shift (1920s–1950s)The Change: As manufacturing methods modernized, leaving raw, visible holes on the back of commercial jewelry became a sign of “unfinished” work.The Technique: Jewelers began to seal the holes after manufacturing. They would leave a vent hole open during the main assembly, let the piece cool, and then perform a final, rapid touch-up to fill the hole with a tiny bead of solder or hide it underneath the hinge of the pin catch.
3. Mid-20th Century to Present DayModern Production: Mass-production turned toward lost-wax casting or electroforming rather than soldering separate front and back stamped plates together. Cast jewelry is completely solid or cast as a single open piece, entirely eliminating the need for trapped-air vent holes
