Tiffany's Chrysanthemum Pearl Brooch

Tiffanys Pearl Brooch The Chrysanthemum Pearl Brooch was made in 1904 by the chief jewelry designer of Tiffany’s, New York, G. Paulding Farnham. The brooch is made of pink, freshwater pearls from the Mississippi River Valley. The pearls are elongated and known as “dogtooth” pearls. They are put together to form a flower shape, hence the name Chrysanthemum.

This brooch was not made for any reason in particular, except for the fact that there was a large quantity of these “dogtooth” pearls at the time, which lead to Farnham becoming creative. The flower is arranged by drilling small holes in each individual pearl and placing them on gold spikes. Attached is a stem that consists of gold, platinum and diamonds. Engraved in the brooch is, “L.R. Dec. 04” which is believed to be the initials of Lillian Russell, a singer from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was either a gift given to her from her husband or from the Tiffany’s Company themselves.

The Chrysanthemum Pearl Brooch was part of the exhibit, “Pearls: A Natural History” which was organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

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