Pair of vintage Jakob Bengel yacht / sail boat brooches - Art Deco 1930s machine age, green galalith and engraved chrome, read for condition

Pair of vintage Art Deco sailboat / yacht brooches from the Jakob Bengel factory made in the early 1930s. These pieces are beautifully engineered out of green coloured, crescent moon shaped galalith pieces (type of early casein-based plastic similar to bakelite) and beautiful shiny silver tone chrome. This simple and elegant design is the epitome of Art Deco chic.

I like the two brooches as a pair, though the galalith pieces are two different shades of green. In both brooches there is age-related wear to the galalith pieces. The smaller of the two brooches has one point of cracking with cracks radiating outwards and a little dark discolouration. The larger brooch has age-related crazing (more minor cracking) along the galalith's edges. I often see this sort of cracking in old galalith unfortunately. This has been accounted for by listing these as a pair and in the choice of price point offered, so please only purchase if aware of the cracking and happy with it.

The price is for BOTH brooches to be sent together, but just send me a message if you would prefer to buy one on its own. The larger brooch with the lighter green galalith is about 2 1/4 inches long. The smaller one with the darker green is about 1.5 inches long. Both have the same rivet construction on the back with simple C hook clasps and pins.

Jakob Bengel was a chain and costume jewellery factory, founded by Jakob Bengel in 1873 in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

Until 1920, the company specialised in the production of watch chains and chatelaines (pendants for pocket watches). In the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the leading manufacturers of fashion jewellery in the Art Deco style.

It was during the Bauhaus and Art Deco period that designers were looking to obtain new materials and inspiration to produce costume jewellery. Inspired by French Avant-Garde and other fashion trendsetters such as Coco Chanel, Bengel started to produce experimental jewellery. The pieces, catalogued 1924-1939, combined brass and chrome with geometric shapes of coloured galalith.