Tortoise Shell Loop Brooch

A brooch of three tortoise-shell loops, each backed and accented by silver, the translucent shell reading warmly against the metal. The interlocking loops are the design, the silver framing and lifting the shell rather than dominating it. The piece is recorded in Davis and Pack's "Mexican Jewelry" and Goddard's field guide.

The catalog record tracks its commercial life: a wholesale price of $5.04 in 1958-59, rising to $5.20 by 1967. A similar design in all-silver or silver-and-copper has been reissued since Spratling's death.

The pairing of silver with tortoise shell belongs to Spratling's broader practice of contrasting the reflective metal with warm natural materials. The looped composition gives the shell room to glow where it catches light.

With its catalog pricing and its place in two references, the three-loop brooch is a documented example of Spratling's use of tortoise shell, the original shell versions preferred over the later all-silver reissues.