New York State Museum 



THE IROQUOIS SILVER BROOCHES 



BY HARRIET MAXWELL CONVERSE 



On the insignia of authority of all peoples, be it scepter, staff 

 of office, rod of empire or the simple rood of the primitive medi- 

 cine man, there have been decorations, jewels, gold and silver. 

 The ermine and the purple have been adorned with rare gems; 

 the robes of state have nestled against the sheen of gold lace; the 

 seal and the talisman have borne the embellishment of glinting 

 jewels equally with the coronet, crown and diadem. The simple 

 fillet of the peasant woman boasts its decorative twist; the snood 

 of the maiden, the emblem of purity, is not guiltless of its dainty 

 ornamentation; and even genius and bravery do not reject the 

 laurel. 



From the crown of the monarch, where precious stones rival 

 one another in glory, to the trinket of the untrained savage the 

 same theme embraces all human kind in the pomp and array of 

 its vanities and vainglory. Be it tinsel or gem, the rainbowed 

 glint of the diamond, the sanguine glow of the ruby, the stillness 

 of the sapphire, the restfulness of the emerald, or the peaceful 

 pearl, even these have caught the rhythmic vibration of nature 

 and decked themselves with her gala colors to perpetuate the 

 annals of kingdom and crown. 



Primitive man had his conception of the beautiful in his rude 

 way and his suggestions of decoration always. He may not have 

 caught the glowing gem, but the threaded shell and varicolored 

 pebble have answered his desire to decorate and beautify. 



Silver " chaste anU Siteadfast '' has ever served the will of 

 courtly and gracious peoples. With exquisite effect it illustrated 

 ancient art. The shah of Persia has his most precious gems set 

 in silver. The poison of the ancients was concealed in a silver 

 ring, t^at the condemned might kiss its signet and die like a 

 hero. The seal stones of Mohammed are set in silver. The Per- 



