Vintage 830 Silver (With Gold Wash) Scandinavian/Norwegian orders Solje Wedding Brooch

This is a vintage Scandinavian Solje Brooch, which was made around the middle of the 20th Century. Solje brooches are also known as Wedding Brooches. Solje is a style of jewelry that is considered to be the traditional jewelry of Norway. This brooch is made of two disc-like metal objects that have pieces of metal (on top of them and hanging from them) with ‘bead work' and ‘wired scrollwork' and that each have teardrop-shaped metal spoon-like objects dangling from them. The brooch is also made of silver that has a purity level of .830 (83% silver). There is a gold wash on the disc-like pieces, which is visible through the silver-tone wire metal that is on top of them, and on the spoon-like dangles. The use of .830 silver and gold wash is typical, for Solje pieces that were made ‘in' and ‘before' the middle of the 20th Century. Newer (ie: late 20th Century and thereafter) pieces are sometimes made with .925 sterling silver. This item is marked ‘J 830S', on its back.

In earlier centuries, Solje brooches or badges were worn by Norwegian women, at their collars and on their cuffs and bodices, as part of their wedding attire. The brooches/badges were usually passed down to relatives, as family heirlooms. They were made in a variety of sizes and had a variety of shapes and designs on them. The common elements were that they were made of a precious metal (which was usually silver), the designs on them (that were often of flowers, hearts, crowns, and scrolls) were ornate, and they usually had dangles on them. In general, a large size and a large number of spoon-like dangles were deemed to be signs of wealth and high status of the woman's (soon to be) husband. According to Norwegian folklore, the Solje was a symbol of good luck and was something that would ‘ward off trolls and illness'. Solje pieces, therefore, also were worn with the Bunad (which was the traditional Norwegian national costume) at gatherings and festivals, were worn by men (often, as buckles for their shoes), and were worn (in small sizes) by children.

The art of Solje jewelry-making evolved, over time, so that you can now find earrings, necklaces and other pieces of jewelry in this style. In recent history, Solje jewelry has been made in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is not uncommon to find a Scandinavian woman with a large collection of old and/or newer Solje pieces. Today, Solje is deemed to be an appropriate traditional accessory to wear for weddings, holidays, and dress occasions. Solje is also now worn on Norwegian Festival days, to add embellishments to the Bunad.

This item is about 1 3/8 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches high (from the top to the tip of the lowest hanging spoon-like dangle). Each of the two disc-like pieces of metal has a diameter of about 5/8 of an inch.

I have enlarged most of the images (and the brooch looks larger than it actually is), so that you can clearly see the details of this item. In image no. 3 , you can see the actual size of the brooch, relative to the size of a nickel. The size of the brooch is also clearly stated, above.

This brooch is in very good condition, with no repairs or dents in the metal. It was hard to capture an image in which all of the gold wash that is on this item is visible. There is actually a lot of ‘shine' coming from the gold wash that is on the disc-like objects, as my images clearly show. In my images, however, you can barely see the gold wash (which actually has light wear/fading on it) that is on the spoon-like dangles. The silver metal needs to be cleaned.

RETURNS AND REFUNDS

Please read the description and view the images, which are a part of the description. I will not accept a return, unless I made a material misstatement in describing the item or failed to disclose significant damage. In such an instance, if I am contacted within 4 days of the receipt of the item, I agree to accept a return, and the item is returned to me within 10 days of the receipt, I will provide orders a full refund and will also reimburse the buyer for reasonable return shipping costs (for which the method of return has been agreed upon, before the item is returned). If an item is damaged during the initial shipping, the buyer is responsible for communicating with (and submitting paperwork and proof of damage to) the shipper, so that a refund can be obtained. I will assist the buyer with obtaining compensation for the damaged shipment, to the extent that I am able to.