Description
The cushion cut amethyst multi-claw set, the outer frame of scrolling green and white enamel scrolls with small diamond highlights, with screw off brooch fitting and enamelled bale
Dimensions
40mm long
Footnote
Jewellery is not just a finishing touch to an outfit but a
powerful means of expression, enabling the wearer to make
strong statements on their religious or political view without
saying a word. The women campaigning for suffrage in Britain
pre-WWI were masters in their use of jewellery as a tool for
potent political expression
The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded in
1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst and took a more militant view on
the campaign for women's suffrage than other groups from the period.
By 1906, the WSPU had become well-known for their
extreme line - often resulting to arson, vandalism and hunger strikes
to promote their cause - all covered extensively by the
national press. In 1908 the government passed The Public
Meeting Act, 'to prevent disturbance of Public Meetings' that
effectively made the disruptive 'Deeds not Words' of the WSPU
illegal.
Support for the WSPU had swelled over the years, something
that did not cease even after the threat of arrest and
imprisonment. In the same year as The Public Meeting Act was
passed, the group devised an innovative way for supporters to
show their allegiance by developing 'corporate' colours - purple
(for dignity), white (for purity) and green (for hope). It did not
take long for the colours to take hold and in June of 1908 30,000
women displayed their colours in a demonstration in London's
Hyde Park - thought to have been watched by up to half a
million spectators - a dramatic scene in purple, white and green.
This demonstration marked the beginning of a remarkable and
persistent campaign for women's suffrage that continued until
the outbreak of war in 1914, at which point the members of
the WSPU vowed to concentrate on the war effort. In 1918
women over 30 were granted the vote, with the voting age
dropping to 21 years old in 1928.