History Adds Value
24th April 2025
The valuer is a detective
This gorgeous brooch was purchased for an op shop a few years ago for $200. They just liked it!
It came to an NCJV member for valuation so the valuer is now a detective.
The brooch is a handmade 18ct yellow gold satin finished grape vine leaf featuring a boulder opal insect. The brooch is stamped T.T.J&Son and is in pristine condition. The valuer is now a detective. Who made the brooch?
This type of research is not easy, you can’t just type this into a search engine or Copilot and find a result.
After consulting reference books, many are no longer available, the marks are attributed to T.T.Jones and Son, Timothy Tillston Jones and Son. The business was an offshoot of T. Jones of Ludgate Hill London and was established in Sydney in 1853 with a shop at 330 George Street Sydney listed in the Sands’ Directory of 1863 as a watchmaker, Manufacturing Jeweller, and Optician. The business later relocated to 316 George Street and closed in 1926 and became known for the production of Masonic jewellery.
There is no stamp on the brooch to show a year it was made but the style indicates that it was made around 1910. Does the insect have any significance? It is not the right shape for a bee, it is more like a fly. Further research shows that fruit fly was first detected in NSW in 1898 so we can only guess the reason the jeweller included this motif. Maybe he had a sense of humour.
Jewellery from this company is now being collected by the National Gallery of Australia to preserve early Australian jewellery, so the brooch has a collectable value.
The value for this brooch is between $8,000 - $10,000.
Have confidence in an NCJV Registered Valuer ™ to value your treasurers.
Left: 18ct gold and boulder opal vine and fly brooch with safety chain and base metal pin, 60cm long and 45 cm wide in pristine condition. Made by Timothy T Jones and Son
Right: An image of the back of the brooch showing the maker’s mark