Purchased directly from an heir of Anna Thompson Dodge by Michigan jeweler Anthony DiMaggio in the 1980s, where it has remained in his private collection ever since.

Anna Thompson Dodge (August 7, 1866 - June 2, 1970), a philanthropist and socialite, was one of the wealthiest women in the world at the time of her death. Born in Dundee, Scotland, Anna married Horace Elgin Dodge of Dodge Brothers Company in 1896. Dodge was well-known for her extensive jewelry collection. Around the time of her daughter Delphine's wedding in 1920, Horace purchased the famous Dodge Pearls from Cartier, which purportedly once belonged to Empress Catherine II of Russia. According to the heir, Anna Dodge often paired this flower brooch with her pearls.

By the mid 19th century, naturalistic jewels such as this impressive flower began to show movement in which diamond elements were mounted on coils, allowing the flowers to 'tremble' and glitter as the wearer moved. This brooch would have made a fabulous display at the most important occasions and a jewel such as this, in its size and scale, surely belonged to the grandest of families. Floral jewels were typically gifts of affection, and at times could contain symbolic messages. In England, Mrs. Burke's 'The Language of Flowers', published in 1856, detailed the various emotions associated with each flower or plant.

From the beginning of at least the 18th century, exotic plants were sent back to Europe, but botany truly took off in Europe in the 19th century. Wealthy Europeans obsessed over the status symbols of collecting exotic specimens, filling gardens and glasshouses alike with these treasures. This brooch is the peak of 19th century status: a significant diamond jewel and exotic specimen flower at once.

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