True colours still shining through
dealers and auctioneers, particularly those online, are cashing in. Practically any piece of jewellery from the Edwardian period that combines the three colours is being passed off as suffragette-related. Others, such as long-established dealer Elizabeth Crawford, are more cautious. She said: “I specialise in suffragette memorabilia but could not possibly bring myself to sell something as ‘suffragette’ if I was not certain that it had an authentic provenance. “Britain was never such a repressive country that suffragettes found it necessary to wear jewellery ‘in the colours’ as a secret token of allegiance. Quite the reverse. Women wore their badges (also now very collectable) proudly advertising the WSPU and many other suffrage societies,” she said. “Since each of these societies Gold jewellery set with amethysts, peridots and seed pearls, but buyer beware. They are of the period but may have no association with women’s suffrage Rare silver brooch, right designed by Sylvia Pankhurst awarded to WSPU members who had been imprisoned in Holloway. The Portcullis symbol of the House of Commons has a superimposed broad arrow containing purple, white and green enamel – the recognised colours of suffrage. followed the WSPU lead and adopted “On occasion one can find pieces an individual combination of colours that demonstrate clearly their of their own, I am surprised that suffragette provenance,” she said. auction houses and dealers have not One such is a pendant made in yet leaped onto that bandwagon. purple, white and green enamel,
“For instance, the colours of the known to have been made from a main suffrage society – the National design by Sylvia Pankhurst (18821960) Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies daughter of Emmeline, the – were red, white and green. Just leader of the suffragette movement. think how many pieces of jewellery “Ignorance should not be a reason with stones in those colours could be for allowing auction houses and described as ‘suffragette’ if we were dealers to perpetuate the ‘suffragette seriously to follow the ‘purple, white jewellery’ myth. I am sure there are and green’ rule. cases where sales are made that
“I have studied the suffragette would not have been without the movement in depth – in all its spurious ‘suffragette’ description,” manifestations – and can report that she said, adding “I think the term there is no evidence that ‘suffragette ‘suffragette jewellery’ should be jewellery’ was made in anything like reserved for pieces that have a the quantity flooding the auction provenance associated with a suffrage houses. society or an individual who made or
Noting the Mappin & Webb wore it with ‘suffrage’ intent.” catalogue jewels, she said she would I think you should buy Edwardian be interested to learn of any jewellery set with whatever colour documentation citing any other gemstones you like best, purely commercial company as maker of because it’s beautiful and still “suffragette jewellery”. affordable, but hey, who am I?