Regards,
Dave.
In April 2018 a statue of Millicent Fawcett was unveiled in Parliament Square, London. A tireless campaigner for female suffrage in the UK, Millicent Fawcett was President of the largest female suffrage organisation, the non-violent National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). This is the first statue of a female to grace Parliament Square and was erected to mark the centenary of granting the franchise to some females in the UK.
Photo by Gary Knight, Wikipedia
The badge depicted on her lapel was given to Millicent Fawcett at a general meeting of the NUWSS in late February 1913, each of the societies within the organisation having contributed towards the cost. Today, the badge is in the care of the NUWSS and remains a symbol of the struggle for women's suffrage.
The central portion of the front of the badge depicts the "arms" of the NUWSS and the reverse has a motto used to encourage perseverance among the members.
Reverse of badge
I did not find much information about the badge in the contemporary press, and what I did find conflicts with the opinion of a modern jewellery expert.
The press in 1913 reported that the badge contained opals (one said fire opals), pearls and enamel.
fire opals
enamel and pearls
opals, enamel and pearls
In contrast to these reports, the jewellery expert, Joanna Hardy says that the orange/red stones are hessonite garnets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj6zHyxA-UB/
I was interested in the significance the contemporary press attributed to the choice of gemstones and the leaves: "fire opals for steadfastness and courage", pearls for the "righteousness" of the cause and the green enamel leaves as a symbol of "undying hope".
Millicent Fawcett obviously valued the badge and all that it symbolised and choose to wear it for a portrait by William Dring circa 1920 for Newman College, Cambridge which she helped to found.
There is also a photograph of her wearing the badge.
According to Joanna Hardy the maker is unknown, which is a tragedy given that this jewel was specially commissioned and will remain a part of history.
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