Early Trifari (KTF) Jeweled Flower Basket by Alfred Philippe 1937, Book Pc
Presenting, for your viewing pleasure, an exuberant flower basket brooch by Trifari's eminent first chief designer Alfred Philippe! This brooch is from 1937, when the company was still known as KTF (Trifari, Krussman & Fishel), and it bears the design patent number at the base. Cartier-trained Philippe ushered an array of sophisticated, fine jewelry-inspired, designs for Trifari, and our flower basket exemplifies that. This brooch is also in unbelievably wonderful condition, perhaps because it once belonged to a collector.
Unfortunately, when the collector passed, her daughter did not care for her jewelry collection, which was acquired by an antique dealer in Texas. We acquired it from the dealer, who shared the info. The brooch is described in Brunialti's book as being "rhodium plated, with black enamel and rhinestones, of a flower basket".
Our brooch does not have enamel and has no sign it ever had it. Instead, unlike the brooch pictured, which has all clear rhinestones, this one has accent crystals of vivid blue. The contrasting color crystals seem original to the piece; my best guess is that this is a variation color combination for this design. The flower basket is depicted at an angled view, showing the basket's squarish silhouette and its handle. The basket has a lush grouping of flowers with leaves.
The flowers are all within the middle portion, represented by graduated round rhinestones. The blue blooms are artfully spread out among the clear ones. Surrounding the flowers are gracefully positioned leaves that seem to radiate out of the basket.
The leaves are encrusted with rhinestones. The basket occupies the lower half of the brooch and is delineated from the flowers by the straight angled line of baguette crystals that depict its rim.
To simulate the basketweave, this brooch has rows of rhinestone pavé, in between ridges. The rows follow the angle of the basket rim. The basket's handle is to the right portion of the floral arrangement, made of a thin arch of rhinestone pavéd metal. The brooch is about 2 1/4" x 2 1/4".
It has a locking c-clasp. We did not notice any KTF marking, but the piece is stamped Des. This is the patent number for Philippe's design; see a copy of the patent in our last picture.The patent was filed on Oct. 6, 1937, and issued Nov.
Our brooch is in overall very good to excellent condition. Considering its age, it is very well preserved. All the crystals are still glittery and mostly bright.
The blue crystals are stunning (this color blue is actually brighter than those issued in later decades and helps date this piece). The rhodium plating is still shiny, with some loss at the back (not visible when brooch is worn).It's much prettier in person than our pictures show. When we first saw it, it was out in the sun, gleaming like a diamond.
We just couldn't resist. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Brooches & Pins". The seller is "kube3716" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.- Country of Origin: United States
- Type: Brooch
- Main Stone Color: Clear, Blue
- Color: Clear, Blue, Silver
- Brand: Trifari
- Shape: Flower Basket
- Material: Crystal
- Metal: Silvertone metal