My next flower pin purchase requires that I have a plan to help me decide what I choose before I take any further action related to flower power pins or other similar jewelry. In fact, the best way for me to do this is to take an inventory of my current collection including others pins that I would like in my collection.
In order to do this I am using a system like the Dewey Decimal System. It will allow me to organize both sets of pins. Since there are so many of them in existence, there is no way I could accomplish this task without it. Therefore it can include pins I have and pins I would like to have.
1A. Original one layer flower power earrings without stems and three pins with stems
Earrings without stems and three one layer original pins with stems
1B. Diversified one layer flower power pins with stems
The above FPP styles all found on ebay are what I consider diversified not classic FPP.
Actually some of these unusual styles are my favorites. In order to learn more about them, go to this link, Flower Power Jewelry Rocks
2A. Original colorful giant two layer pins with and without stem
A collection of two layer giant daisy pins with and without stem from ebay
2B. Diversified two layer pins
Two layer diversified pin with and without stem
3A. Embellished three and four layer flower pins
Three and four layer embellished flower power pins
4A. Signed pieces as a transition from three and four layer embellished flower power pins
These three sets of pins transcend flower power pins primarily because they are signed and not anonymous.
5A. More About my possible next flower pin purchase
It takes no more than a quick glance at all the pins above to know which ones I would like to get. Because they have become rather expensive compared to their original prices, I do not know how long it will take to get my next flower pin purchase. None the less these are the ones I would choose:
1B. middle pin
2B. left pin
3A. all three
4A. right pin or another early Lenora Dame Studio pin
5A. two right pins
What will it be? A One-of-a-Kind Lenore Dame Metal Flower Brooch in Gold & Violet
I made my decision and I am counting the days until my pin arrives. It is an early Lenora Dame Studio brooch. In fact, the colors are magnificent. Because of this I wanted it from the very first time I saw a picture of it. At first I thought I had found a very special flower power pin. But I realized it was not because I recognized certain details that are different from the flower power pin. To learn more, go to flower power pins.
A Lenora Dame Studio Brooch beside an original one layer flower power pin
Some early Lenora Dame Brooches may be flower power pin direct descendants. Both have a shared design element like a child who resembles a parent.
FLOWER POWER PIN DESIGN EMBELLISHMENT
Flower pin embellishment involves the ecolution from a single layer pattern through multi-layer pins.
First come the simple, one layer flower power pins. Then over a period of time they likely evolve into the multi-tiered, embellished flower power pins as we call them. A picture of this is at the left.
EARLY LENORA DAME STUDIO BROOCHES
After embellished flower pins are the rage come the magnificent, early Lenora Dame Brooches. But the brooches themselves are not flower power pins. In fact, they cannot be. The explanation for this is available in the article Not A Flower Power Pin.
None the less, they appear to have a relationship to flower power pins. In fact early Lenora Dame brooches could be the very next generation of pins in the continuation of a logical design ancestry from anonymous simple then embellished flower power pins to identifiable, early Lenora Dame Studio jewelry.
Another resemblance between Lenora Dame Studio and an embellished flower power pin.
Example As another example of their offspring to strengthen this conclusion that some early Lenora Dame brooches are the flower pin direct descendants is the following pair. See the pictures at left to observe them.
Enlargement Enlarged Lenora Dame brooch on the left and embellished flower pin on the right.
Close Up Here is an enlargement of these two brooches to reveal a leaf appearing directly before the center of the pin that is unusual but in both these pins. The leaf is light blue on the Lenora Dame brooch on the left and white on the embellished flower pin to the right.
IINTERGENERATIONAL EVOLUTION
From left to right, the evolution from the original, basic flower power pin to the Lenora Dame Studio brooch
CONCLUSION
Although there is no other written correlation that the early Lenora Dame Studio brooches are flower power pin direct descendants, the evidence that I detail above offers a logical explanation in its favor. Hopefully this information will shed some light on the pin evolution since no other documentation exists from extensive research.
Polka Dot Flower Brooch Pin Purple White Enamel Long Stem Floral Vintage on ebay
‘Flower Power Pins: The 1960s-1970s’ is the ongoing mystery of the flower power pin. In order to get a clue to this mystery, it is necessary to learn about collectible vintage jewelry before, during, and after the existence these pins themselves.
In addition this collection of articles chronicles my journey that leads to them, the pins themselves, and the course I take in search of them. Actually, it is the course I am still on to this day.
My Journey
At first, I do not start out attempting to solve this mystery. In fact, I do not even know there was an unsolved situation compared to other costume jewelry of that time, the 1960s into the 1970s. As I dig deeper the mystery becomes even darker. This is because the more I look for identification and verification, the less I find. Therefore, the more questions I have.
The Anonymous Pins In fact, I can find nothing in writing that identifies these beauties. For example, what is their place of origin? where they are manufactured? who designed them? Is this information purposely hidden or is it just a coincidence? Is it possible that these answers do not have significance when they are made and it is only now that these questions tug at me to know these answers?
Invitation So, without further ado here is the path I take, where is starts, where it leads me, and where I am now. Be forewarned that it is not a straight line. And it is not even complete. But this is where solving the mystery is today. It by no means is complete yet. So join me on my journey to solving the flower power mystery.
Lenore Dame Metal Flower Brooch in Gold & Violet – One-of-a-Kind Jewelry but not a flower power pin due to the embellishments of gold and stones in the center of it. Pin owned by author.
This magnificent brooch from around the time of Flower Power Jewelry is Not an original/classic flower power pin.
The reason is that it has gold filigree, decorative stone, is a one of a kind piece, and is signed. Therefore it is an embellishment of an original/classic flower petal ‘flower power pin’ design.
Decorative Vintage Pin This is a vintage upscale design inspired by the very popular actual flower power pin from around the 1960s. But it is a piece of jewelry from The Lenore Dame Studio using some of the basic FPP elements but for profit and decoration rather than a socio-political statement.
What is a Flower Power Pin The original/classic flower power pin (or FPP for short) has a daisy petal pattern and is made from “molded steel and colored with enamel paint” exclusively. So anything else would not be a classic/original FPP even if it looks similar to it. In fact a major distinction is that a FPP never has a designers identity and is not one-of-a-kind. Here are some examples.
These four Flower-Power-Brooches differ in daisy colors and number of petal layers only. The stem is not a distraction from their design. They have all but only the elements to qualify them as flower power pins.
What is Not a Flower Power Pin A daisy design pattern that has more than just molded steel and sprayed enamel is not an official/original FPP although many are categorized as such today. If a piece has a matching pair of earring, I find it also questionable. Lastly, if a piece has a designer name on it, it can not be FPP. It is jewelry and its purpose is decorative. Here are some additional examples.
There are similarities between the two groups of pins. But the second group is derivative of the first. The style attempts to be similar. But that is as far as it goes. There are gemstones, gold veneer, signed by the designer, and are much more costly than flower power pins.
Why Is the Distinction So Important?
As explained in the previous blog post, The Flower Power Mystery, flower power pins are more important socially than artistically. This is not to say that they are not adorable, colorful, and collectible. But at the height of their existence, they are making a socio-political statement rather than being just decorative.
A Second Thought on Anonymity The fact that the flower power pins had no identifying marks and that nothing is written about their origin may have a very simple explanation. Companies may not have minded manufacturing them. But perhaps they did not want the public to know what their socio-political positions were. To avoid that, they remained anonymous in every way they could.
Flower Power by Definition Actually the term ‘flower power’ was coined by beatnik poet Allen Ginsberg, to symbolize peace, love, and non-violence. Keep in mind that their popularity is during the Vietnam War era. Therefore a FPP represents the anti-Vietnam War sentiment that many young people of that time feel. Instead of being just a pretty piece of jewelry, an official FPP makes a socio-political statement that is recognizable even today.
Earrings without stems and three one layer original pins with stems 
The above FPP styles all found on ebay are what I consider diversified not classic FPP.
A collection of two layer giant daisy pins with and without stem from ebay
Three and four layer embellished flower power pins
