Gifts of Grandeur: The Steel Vine Brooch, 1820

Cast Iron Brooch
German, 1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The vine leaf motif  of this attractive brooch was originally designed by Johnn Conrad Geiss who was the first designer to use both classical and gothic motifs on the same piece of jewelry.

When this brooch was made in 1820, cast-iron jewelry was an inexpensive but fashionable novelty. The style developed in Germany in 1806–7, mostly to be worn during mourning,.  Soon, however, cast-iron pieces became the symbol of Prussian patriotism and resistance to Napoleon I in the Prussian War of Liberation fought from 1813-15.  During the War of Liberation, women donated their gold jewelry to their country in exchange for iron inscribed “I gave gold for iron.”