A beautifully made vintage c1950 caterpillar brooch in two toned 18K gold with ruby eyes and diamond baguettes making up his antennae and each segment of his body.
Caterpillar pins of this size and era were associated with the Caterpillar Club, an informal association of airman who's lives were saved by parachuting out of a disabled aircraft.
The club was founded in the 1920s by Leslie Irvin, inventor of the parachute. Because early parachutes were made from natural silk, the silk worm became an emblem for the Caterpillar Club, whose motto was "life depends on a silken thread." Irvin's company awarded gold pins to everyone saved by one of their parachutes, giving out more than 30,000 through WWII.
This pin is uncommonly high quality and may have been a custom creation to commemorate a successful bale out. Reportedly from the estate of actress Dorothy McGuire (1916–2001), acquired through the trade. McGuire's husband was John Swope, a photographer and well known aviator who trained cadets during WWII. He also went on to co-found Southwest Airways. It's possible it belonged to him, though there's not public record of a parachute escape performed by Swope.
Weighs 3.2 grams.
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