Vintage Blackamoor Style Brooch

This is a vintage costume jewelry brooch featuring a Blackamoor bust motif, a style common in the mid-20th century. The piece is constructed from a die-cast base metal finished with a textured black enamel or lacquer. The figure is depicted wearing an elaborate, ribbed turban or headdress which is accented with vertical rows of clear, faceted rhinestones. The facial features are highlighted with gold-tone or yellow-painted accents around the eyes and a reddish hue on the lips. The figure is also shown wearing orange-toned earrings. At the base, a scalloped collar or necklace is finished in a contrasting cream or off-white enamel pattern. In terms of condition, the brooch shows visible signs of age and wear. There is significant chipping and loss of the black finish on the nose and forehead, revealing the base material underneath. Several of the inset rhinestones are darkened or cloudy, suggesting foil degradation or 'greying,' and there appears to be at least one missing stone on the right side of the headdress. The piece lacks visible designer signatures in this view but stylistically aligns with mass-produced novelty jewelry from the 1940s to 1960s. The overall craftsmanship is mid-tier costume jewelry, characterized by cold enamel application and glued-in stones rather than prong settings.

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