EJ Clewley & Co 1946 375 9ct Gold Shell Cameo Brooch

EJ Clewley & Co 1946 375 9ct Gold Shell Cameo Brooch featuring a beautiful carved shell cameo with lady looking left. She has her hair partly up with tresses at her shoulders. The brooch has the marks 'E.J.C.' for EJ Clewley, '9'for 9ct, '375' for 37.5% Gold Purity, the anchor on its side (Birmingham), and the letter 'W'. The last records of the company show that EJ Clewley & Co were in 1954, which logically means the 'W' date letter is unlikely to be for 1971 and therefore should either be for:

1921 (lowercase "w", serif font)
OR
1946 (uppercase "W", sans-serif font)

The design has a mid-century feel, so I would be happy to suggest that this piece was assayed in 1946. The brooch has a C clasp and it measures 3.2cm high and 2.5cm at its widest point and it weighs 4.1g.

E.J. Clewley & Co., established in 1890, was a distinguished jewellery manufacturer located in Birmingham's historic Jewellery Quarter. The company specialised in crafting a diverse range of jewellery, including 9ct gold rings featuring both real and imitation stones, 18ct and platinum rings set with diamonds and gemstones, as well as expanding watch bracelets.

During the first half of the 20th century, E.J. Clewley & Co. became a well known name among retailers, wholesalers, and shippers in the jewellery trade. Renowned for their high quality yet affordable products, they catered to a wide and varied market.

The company remained active into the mid-20th century, with records confirming operations as late as 1954