Shuttle Brooch

This Mother of Pearl brooch was an accidental find on Ebay.  The cost was 14.00 US including shipping from the UK to Canada. It was described as "Antique Victorian cut steel mother of pearl lace pin brooch gold tone".

I thought  I would add a simple edging attaching to the openwork around the brooch, but now that I have cleaned it up I like it the way it is.  My yellow light does not show the rainbow depth of the Mother of Pearl.  There is hole in the center of the MOP and the rivet used for attachment is also shuttle shaped so I don't mind it there at all.

The size is 1.8 inches and I've added a comparison with a Susan Bates/clover type shuttle below.  I also added the before pictures from ebay below.

I used eyeglass lens cleaner and a soft toothbrush to slowly bring back the shine of the metal.  I used a wooden toothpick to gently persuade any tough spots. As the toothpick end softened it made itself into a little brush to assist with the cleaning.  I used a eyeglass cloth to dry and polish once the grime was removed.    I also used only my fingers to gently coax the metal back to where it should be. 

I pretty much stayed away from the Mother of Pearl as I didn't know how strong it would be.  Honestly the toothbrush did most of the work. 

I think the brooch will be a great addition to my Mother of Pearl button vest my mother made.

















The before pictures