04/09/2026
Restoring a Rare Continental Tremolo Brooch
In this restoration project, I take on a rare and fascinating piece: a tremolo brooch believed to date from around 1910–1915, with continental origins possibly Austrian or Portuguese — though some details suggest it could be even earlier. The bird motif is crafted in 9-carat gold, with delicate enamel wings, and features the classic “tremolo” spring mechanism designed to make the bird tremble with the wearer’s movement.
When the piece arrived, the tremolo spring was completely inactive — the bird wasn’t moving at all. Years of past repairs had also left the piece full of lead, and previous work using modern laser techniques had to be undone to bring the brooch back to its original form.
The collets holding the stones had broken and needed to be entirely remade by hand, matching the original craftsmanship as closely as possible.
Over five days, I carefully rebuilt the broken collets, removed decades of lead and earlier laser repair work, and restored the spring mechanism so the bird trembles again as it was always meant to.
This is a genuinely important piece — a rare survivor of early 20th-century (or possibly earlier) continental jewellery craftsmanship, brought back to life.
