LATE VICTORIAN GOLD AND SEED-PEARL MONOGRAM BROOCHES, CIRCA 1890

Pair of Late Victorian gold and seed-pearl monogram brooches, each designed as an openwork stylized Gothic script cipher with flowing C-scrolls and lancet spires, centered with a horizontal bar set with five seed pearls and flanked by three further seed pearls at the terminal flourishes, fitted to the reverse with a hinged pin stem and 'C' clasp, tested 18 karat yellow gold, each accompanied by its original fitted presentation case stamped 'Johnson, 94 Grafton Street, Dublin', circa 1890.

Why we are obsessed: 

Crafted by Dublin’s premier 19th-century jeweller Edmond Johnson of 94 Grafton Street, famed for reproducing iconic Irish treasures like the Ardagh Chalice and Tara Brooch, these pieces represent the pinnacle of late-nineteenth-century calligraphic goldwork. What makes this set exceptionally rare for collectors is its remarkable survival: a true, untouched matched pair preserved side by side in their original crown-stamped velvet and silk presentation cases. Whether worn together on opposite lapels as modern statement pieces or acquired as museum-quality examples of Irish design heritage, they offer an extraordinary slice of Dublin’s golden age of craft.