The Colmar Brooch
A Jewish treasure lost in the Plague (France, 1340s)
Before I was even finished with the agate necklace, I was in search of new medieval inspirations to guide my jewelry-making education. I knew my wife had a ring that was modeled after one found in a "Jewish hoard", where Jews would hide away valuables before fleeing a region for persecution or pogroms. I wanted to know what other items had been discovered in finds like these.
This search led me to a display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of the Colmar Treasure, one such hoard discovered in the wall of a French bakery in the 19th century. Abandonded by Jews blamed for the Black Death, it included coins, rings, and an absolutely breathtaking brooch of gems and pearl. On further examination, the brooch was also almost entirely constructed of components I already knew how to make from the necklace project, just smaller and more numerous.
It seemed the perfect project to push my skills further with something that was more effort but not too much more complexity. It tied into my wife's heritage and time period, and would be persona-accurate for her to wear when the occasion called for higher fanciness.
In the end, I did not achieve a perfect replication, but I grew as a lapidary and a smith and am exceedingly pleased with the final results.
Extant Brooch
Image provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, from when it was displayed in 2019.
Note the center stone is faceted, suspected to be a later-period repair given the original fabrication of the brooch likely predates that method of faceting gemstones.
My Reproduction
I decided to replace the faceted center gem with a more likely cabochon, and elected not to attempt highly toxic gilding with mercury in this reproduction.
Setting the pearls in particular was a challenge that I discovered the secret to a bit too late.
