Good morning,
Today I want to share an antique store find. It is a rare 1950s era Adele Simpson pin measuring a little over 2 1/2″ in diameter and featuring prong-set emerald and rose navette-shaped stones.
Adele Simpson was a talented and famous fashion designer. Her jewelry was only made for a few years in the 1950s through the 1960s to compliment her fashions. Simpson studied at the Pratt institute and over her long career, won many awards for her fashions.
This rare pin was sitting on the bottom shelf of a display cabinet with many beautiful “attention drawing,” sparkling pieces. The unusual rose and emerald color combination of this piece drew my jewelry “eye”.
Pink is a tint of red, so pink and green (like red and green) are opposites on the color wheel. They are complementary colors that enhance each other without the strong contrast of red and green. It is a sophisticated combination – in an older pin – and well worth another look.
Once it was in my hand, I turned it over and was delighted to see the script Adele Simpson signature. I was even more delighted by the very, very low price. As I examined the condition of the pin, my happiness continued to grow. The pin was in wonderful, vintage condition and had several interesting construction elements.
The pin is three dimensional but not heavy or exceptionally tall. It was made with two rings, placed on top of each other, and held together with an early hook-and-eye. The spokes of the pin were soldered to these rings. The top ring held the shorter spokes; the bottom ring held the longer spokes. This was a very clever construction resulting in an undulating design! From the side the spokes, subtly in an understated way, wave or undulate. The pin has movement, but the movement compliments the design rather than dominates it.
It is fun to compare the following three “undulating” designs.
The famous Schreiner “Ruffle” pin is an undulating design made with tapered keystones.
The Nolan Miller pin, inspired by the famous Schreiner ruffle pin, is also an undulating design.
The Adele Simpson pin is an early gently undulating design using spokes of rhinestones instead of keystones.
Wonderful pieces are hard-to-find in antique stores today due to the internet, but still available. To find a treasure like this Simpson pin, a rare piece with historical significance, look beyond the sparkly attention grabbers, for the sophisticated quality pieces that may be quietly, and patiently waiting to be noticed.
Happy Collecting,
Julie