Brooch

Plated silver and gold disc brooch, Avent unclassified. The backplate is silver with rounded a light-and-shade decorated rim, and the inner border flat band witha row of small punched annulets and gilded. The central area is slightly dished and set with gold cloisonné cells which have all been riveted through the backplate. At the centre a circular cell has 3 radiating triangles, all in one group, and is framed by a soldered beaded gold wire. In the central cell a white boss cut out is inset with a cabochon garnet, which in turn is inlaid into it a blue glass opaque ring. The triangles were set with garnets, 2 of which are missing, the remaining one is flat on gold foil backing. Near to the points of the triangles, there are tiny gold round cells with beaded gold wire collars, 1 set with a sunken cabochon garnet, 2 with flat. Interspaced between are medium sized cells, without wire collars, but with shell bosses set with tiny round garnets, 1 flat, 1 cabochon, 1 missing. The remaining surface area of the dished middle of brooch is covered by disc of sheet gold with beaded wire border, and covered with filigree work. Around the edge there is a double row of tiny annulets, except on one side where the pattern has slipped. Single row of annulets around each cells. The remaining area is covered with pelta and occasional figure-of-eight work. The gold plate is damaged, and torn, revealing paste beneath. Evidently this is antique because tiny rivets have been used, partly concealed among the annulets, to peg down the damaged parts. These rivets show on back. Some of filigree has been lost from the surface, and the rest is badly worn as is the rim. On the back, the silver pin hinges in a hollow cylinder, into which it is pinned by an iron rivet, and which itself is attached to the back by a disc riveted in 3 places, but one empty rivet hole suggests it may have been re-attached at another time. Sonia Chadwick Hawkes observed that the order of construction was a pin mechanism riveted to the back plate with cloison cells to the front. Only after that were settings and filigree work added. The brooch is badly damaged, and obviously old when it was buried This brooch was found by the Rev. Bryan Faussett in Grave 299 at Kingston Down, accompanying a female burial.