Silver Fern Brooches by The House of Stratton

My name is Allan Stratton

My jewellery manufacturing business was established in 1929 by my grandfather.

We are the oldest jewellery manufacturers in New Zealand.

Over this time we have acquired a lot of patterns and one of the most interesting is the SILVER FERN.

This is an icon of New Zealand and recognised through out the world and associated with our New Zealand culture as clean and green.

There are other icons like the koru and kiwi but this article is about the silver fern.

At the moment this is too the fore because John Key really promotes it in his travels and he suggests that the New Zealand flag should have the silver fern the symbolise New Zealand and its people.

For years New Zealand citizens have been recognised world wide for the silver fern.

I will start with the oldest Silver Fern die that is in use today which date back to Security Jewellers in the 18th Century. This die which is a pressing incorporated the silver fern, kiwi and NZ. Thousands of these brooches have been pressed with this die through the years.

These are the dies:

The next addition to this series of fern was the Stylised fern brooches for men and women. This is the brooch that men pin on their suits lapels to show to the world that they are New Zealanders. They also use lapel pins as shown.