Vintage 40s Rice-Weiner Asian Water Carrier Brooch 3.5 Inches – Book Piece

Such a rare treat is this large sized and elusive brooch of “The Water Carrier” a.k.a. “Chinese Water Boy” designed by Louis C. Mark for the Rice-Weiner jewelry company, featuring an Asian figure with carrying pole, and patented in 1941 as shown.

The unsigned vintage figural is a book piece, appearing in Brunialti’s “American Costume Jewelry”, and is the earliest version of this design – consisting of gilt metal, a conical hat, shirt, sandals, and shorts with cold enameled painted blue dots.

It also has two large cloisonne beads serving as the water jugs, suspended from chain link lengths.

*PLEASE NOTE that some of the surface gold plating has oxidized over time, with a bit of wear evident on the high points, and that there is gilding missing from the cloisonne beads.

Otherwise, the brooch remains intact and in original condition, and measures approximately 3&1/8 inches across, end to end, by approximately 3&1/2 inches in length, from hat tip to the base of the lower bead.

It weighs 42.0 grams, and has a back plate with patent number “D129573”