Velvet padding for US Naval officer's sweetheart brooch

Datec 1945

Object number00046770

NamePadding

MediumVelvet, cardboard

DimensionsOverall: 6 x 63 x 63 mm, 4.69 g

ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionThis blue velvet padding was made to sit within a jewellery box containing a US Naval officer's sweetheart brooch.HistoryBrooches given as a token of affection (hence Sweetheart Brooches) have been in existence for hundreds of years, perhaps even as far back as Roman times. They flourished during the Victorian era, giving rise to thousands of designs in gold and silver, embracing hearts, lovebirds, flowers and leaves, together with symbols of religious significance such as an anchor or a cross. The Boer war and more particularly World War I and World War II gave rise to many thousands of these brooches, all with a military connection, now commonly known as military sweetheart brooches. This term is now often used to embrace any piece of jewellery that has military significance. An American entrepreneur, Lloyd George Balfour noticed a gap in the student jewellery market in 1913. He formed a company, called Balfour, to manufacture and distribute sorority and fraternity jewellery to colleges throughout the United States. During the Second World War, the United States Army tasked the company with producing military insignia. SignificanceThis jewellery represents an era where practically everyone in Australia and America backed the war effort. Women moved into factory positions while children were mounting ration campaigns. A soldier gave this jewelry to someone special as a gesture of love and remembrance. And many times the piece would signify his general location, like the South Pacific, or his branch of military service.