Flowing poetry in a three-dimension expression can describe this signed Whiteside and Blank of Newark, NJ's 14k yellow gold brooch. A delicate three-leaf and bud foliate design features a palette of iridescent pastel enamels.

Larger in scale than many of its cousins, its design and subtle coloration add to its charm.

Centered along the middle of the leaves are seventeen rose cut diamonds, total weight of .10 carats (I-K color; SI1-3 clarity) emulating the vertical vein of the leaf.

Stems of gold spotlight seven natural freshwater pearl “buds” on the verge of bursting forth into blossom. The white lustrous pearls range from 5 to 7 mm in diameter. Overall, the antique piece is laden with a measured energy counterbalanced with a perceived fragility.

Placed within the Art Nouveau and the Edwardian periods, both sensibilities influenced its design. An organic motif with more realistic expression pairs with the use of enamel but rendered in a meticulous precise way more akin to the Edwardian taste.

For more information on Newark maker's of the period see the book, The Glitter and the Gold: Fashioning America's Jewelry
by Jenna Weissman Joselit, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Kevin J. Smead, and Janet Zapata.