1930s Butterfly Wing Pendant / Morpho butterfly wing Jewllery

Butterfly wing jewelry was first introduced at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. Since then, it has become highly collectable; particularly the earlier deco pieces.

One of the most spectacular specimens of Art Deco adornment is butterfly wing jewelry. These mysterious rich blue jewel-like pieces often evoke exclamations of surprise and delight when it is found out that they are indeed real butterfly wings. The species most commonly seen is the Morpho Butterfly, originating primarily from the Amazon.

The genus name Morpho comes from an Ancient Greek for "the shapely one", for Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.

Many morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blues and greens. These colors are not a result of pigmentation, but are an example of iridescence through structural coloration. 

For obvious reasons, butterfly wing jewelry is rarely made today, but these antique pieces are a real glimpse into the past. This pendant was made from the vintage jewellery company Hoffman & Co from New York. They were founded by Frederic S. Hoffman and were in business from 1930 to 1940s. They would often handpaint tropical scenes against the reverse on the glass, and when backed with the wing, it creates the illusion of a lovely sunset.

This pendant is in excellent condition, and the silver casing is still in tact. Sometimes air gets into the casing and will discolour the butterfly wing, but this pendant keeps its vibrant hue.

The pendant is on a strong sterling silver box chain that measures 16 inches in length. The pendant is 1 inch in length and 0.5 inches wide.

The back of the pendant is marked "HOFFMAN STERLING". The chain is also marked for metal purity it is marked "ITALY 925"

Item weight: 3.13g