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Souvenirs of global gold seeking: goldfields jewellery of the 19th century

chapter
posted on 2016-03-01, 00:00 authored by Linda YoungLinda Young
The pick and shovel motif in jewellery accompanied the late 19thC gold rushes around the world. It was picked up by manufacturing jewellers in the UK for relatively mass production, and sold in Western Australia and South Africa, where local names appear on shovel blades. In the Klondike, mass manufactured brooches based on the pick and shovel were made, possibly first by local jewellers, who added a characteristic trim of tiny nuggets, and occasional local motifs such as maple leaf and beaver. The American souvenir silver spoon craze of the 1880s-1920s picked up the pick and shovel and added further icons of gold-seeking in mountains (log cabin with mountains behind) and desert (loaded pack mule) to brooches (as well as spoons) in the early 1900s.

History

Chapter number

11

Pagination

142-154

ISBN-13

9780994553508

Language

eng

Publication classification

X Not reportable, B2 Book chapter in non-commercially published book

Copyright notice

2016, Linda Young

Extent

11

Editor/Contributor(s)

Brown C

Publisher

Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka

Place of publication

Ballarat, Vic.

Title of book

Bling: 19th century goldfields jewellery, 16 April-4 July