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 followed the WSPU lead and adopted an individual combination of colours of their own, I am surprised that auction houses and dealers have not yet leaped onto that bandwagon.
“For instance, the colours of the main suffrage society – the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies – were red, white and green. Just think how many pieces of jewellery with stones in those colours could be described as ‘suffragette’ if we were seriously to follow the ‘purple, white and green’ rule.
“I have studied the suffragette movement in depth – in all its manifestations – and can report that there is no evidence that ‘suffragette jewellery’ was made in anything like the quantity flooding the auction houses.
Noting the Mappin & Webb catalogue jewels, she said she would be interested to learn of any documentation citing any other commercial company as maker of “suffragette jewellery”.
“On occasion one can find pieces that demonstrate clearly their suffragette provenance,” she said.
One such is a pendant made in purple, white and green enamel, known to have been made from a design by Sylvia Pankhurst (18821960) daughter of Emmeline, the leader of the suffragette movement.
“Ignorance should not be a reason for allowing auction houses and dealers to perpetuate the ‘suffragette jewellery’ myth. I am sure there are cases where sales are made that would not have been without the spurious ‘suffragette’ description,” she said, adding “I think the term ‘suffragette jewellery’ should be reserved for pieces that have a provenance associated with a suffrage society or an individual who made or wore it with ‘suffrage’ intent.”
I think you should buy Edwardian jewellery set with whatever colour gemstones you like best, purely because it’s beautiful and still affordable, but hey, who am I?