Brooches and Pins are the original form and function jewelry items. At their origin, they served a purpose beyond adornment. In the dark days before zippers, buttons, buckles, snaps, and velcro, there were brooches and pins to secure clothing. While their function was paramount, their form was often dictated by whatever technology and materials the period allowed. Evolving through the ages brooches and pins went from absolutely essential to whimsical, and chic. Worn by everyone from Crowned Heads to plebeians, brooches and pins are the jewelry pieces most often imbued with symbolic significance.
Beyond purely functional duties, brooches and pins often served as identifiers, overtly signifying that the wearer belonged to a tribe, group, club, regiment, or other organization. Throughout history flags, banners, coats-of-arms, badges of rank, and other symbols of patriotism and loyalty have been rendered in such a way that they could be displayed proudly on lapels, shoulders, hats, etc. Intriguingly, brooch design could also be adapted to covertly signal more subtle or secretive messages by the wearer including, secret love, friendship, wealth, power, and even diplomatic displeasure.
Courtesy of the National Museum of Diplomacy.
Originally collected on a whim, Madeleine Albright famously weaponized her brooch collection to send subtle (or not-so-subtle) diplomatic dispatches.
Among our most contentious discussions with the Kremlin were those involving nuclear arms. The United States wanted to make changes in the antiballistic missile treaty, and our counterparts did not. At the beginning of our talks, the Russian foreign minister looked at the arrow-like pin I had chosen for that day and inquired, ‘Is that one of your interceptor missiles?’ I said, ‘Yes, and as you can see, we know how to make them very small. So you’d better be ready to negotiate.'1
Queen Elizabeth II often commemorated various events and state visits with the selection of a particular brooch. Once Her Majesty even famously employed a trio of brooches on successive days to highlight her true sentiments about the meetings.
Photo Courtesy of Canadian Crown.
On the first day of his visit, she wore a brooch sent by the Obamas, Trump’s political nemeses and followed it up with a snowflake brooch given to her by the Governor-General of Canada, a country with which the then-president had strained relations. For the third day, she pinned a diamond teardrop brooch gifted to her by her mother on her coat—unassuming at first, but pregnant with meaning once royal-watchers realised it was the same brooch her mother wore to the funeral of King George VI (Queen Elizabeth II’s father); a brooch that was tied inextricably to mourning. One brooch with negative connotations could have been a coincidence. But three? A point was being made. 2
Mourning and remembrance of loved ones could be communicated with a brooch. Talismans, charms, and badges to ward off evil, bring luck, or express religious affiliations were and remain perfect subjects for brooch design. From Suffragists to sweethearts, Queens to commoners, protesters to promoters, brooches and pins have been endowed with roles well beyond their function.
Prehistory to 1000 AD
Some of the earliest European and Western Asian brooches that remain extant (c.13th century BC) are dress pins that resemble what we might think of as hat pins. A straight shaft with a point at one end and a decorative terminal at the other. At that time, engraving, chasing, hammering, and other simple maneuverings of metal were the decorative techniques predominantly used. As time and technology advanced, the terminals on dress pins became more elaborate and sometimes were cast with patterns or designs, and had added enamel and/or gemstones.
© The Trustees of the British Museum.
Another early brooch was sometimes made in two parts – a spiral bow and spiral foot with a catch and a pointed pin that swung freely on the wire joining the two spirals. Spirals often figured in early brooch design as the technology to create a spiral and/or a coil in a length of wire required no tools. Because of the primitive construction, pins were usually one of a kind, although these limitations also dictated a great deal of stylistic similarity between the individual brooches.
As the centuries rolled by, the creation of the fibula brooch became the fastener of the day. Fibulae brooches are similar to a modern-day safety pin. They are comprised of a pin, a catch plate, a head spring, and a bow and a toe. The head can be identified as the spring or hinge end of the pin and the foot is the opposite end where the pin catch is located. The bow is the bridge between the two parts with the depth of its arc evolving over time. The foot and bow can sometimes display decorative elements that aid in identifying the period the brooch was made. Granulation is found on some 8th-century BC Greek fibula feet, a technique lost to history for centuries. Engraving on the reverse, sometimes with secret messages, can be found on brooches from this period. Elaborate Etruscan fibulae have been found that are not only extensively decorated but have a complex tube-constructed head and a further tube fastener at the foot. A very complex Etruscan comb fibula had two comb configurations sewn to opposing sides of a garment and a tubular segment with wires running its length that could slip over each of the combs thus uniting the garment.
During the Iron Age in Great Britain (c.450 BC) fibulae bow brooches were very small, usually between 2.5 and 10 cm. Materials consisted of a copper alloy (usually bronze) with an iron pin. Forged iron was also used in brooch construction at that time but most have decayed due to exposure to the elements and are not available for extensive study. Evidence of lost wax casting, and clay molds to produce the decorative elements exists. The spring mechanism at the head of the iron pin proved to be a weak element and, c. mid-Iron Age, necessity dictated the invention of the hinge.
Beads and other decorative elements began to be added to these pins. Commonly used items were Mediterranean coral, glass, hematite, shell, and amber. Sometimes the items were drilled and attached to the brooches with a rivet-like pin, another means of connection was a beech bark resin glue-like substance.
Cross-bow brooches had a cruciform outline. While still in a fibula-like form, these brooches had a rotating hinge instead of a spiral spring. The foot often had a rotating catch mechanism and the bow sported a variety of animal and other decorative motifs.
Penannular brooches were also found during this period leading up to the Middle Ages. They ranged from very primitive to highly decorated. Anglo-Saxon disc brooches, with their large flat area, lent themselves well to a variety of decorative motifs. Everything from niello to engraving, primitive enamel, gemstones, and pierced designs can be found on these brooches.
1000-1500
© The Trustees of the British Museum.
However, the primary function of a medieval brooch was as a dress fastener.3
A necessity to maintain closure and secure layers of fabric, brooches were the primary fastener until the development of buttons circa the 14th century. Securing all manner of small items to clothing such as purses, rosaries, and aprons was commonplace. Most were metal including gold, silver, silver-gilt bronze, pewter, and silvered latten. Decorative elements included enamel, pearls, hardstone cameos, and gemstones. Love, loyalties, and identity were often the decorative themes on brooches of the period.
From the 12th to the 15th century the annular or ring brooch prevailed. Designed as a ring with a pin across the center. Ring brooches were actually held in place by the fabric captured by the pin.
Social significance could be signaled subtly or blatantly through brooch design. Love, affection, and friendship could also be expressed outwardly or concealed on the reverse of the brooch. Messages expressing these emotions were popular such as sans departir (without parting) and vous et nul autre (you and no other). The circular form of the brooch was sometimes replaced by a heart shape thereby reinforcing the sentiment. Symbols of faith rendered in three dimensions and en ronde bosse enamel were popular among the religious, some enclosing holy relics. Playing right alongside faith, talismanic protection and superstition were also popular themes.
Reflecting allegiance to liege lords, the monarch, or just loyalty to a friend, brooches were one way to express these alliances outwardly. They proclaimed status and identity and could be displayed by retainers, servants, and even on the horses of high-ranking individuals. Coats-of-arms were a simple motif that could be employed to easily establish identity and loyalty. Clergy and high-ranking statesmen also used badges and brooches to proclaim their rank.
Regardless of design, how a brooch was worn could declare a binding contract (marriage). Worn modestly at the neck they proclaimed and protected virtue. Pilgrimage badges and saint’s emblems declared publicly that a pilgrimage had been accomplished, in addition, they were believed to provide protection to these holy travelers. Lords bestowed badges on their supporters and displayed them everywhere possible.
1500-1820
When buttons began to serve the necessary functions of garment closure and fabric security, brooches continued to be popular. Instead of pinning them to a garment or using them as a fastener, they were often stitched in place as purely decorative devices. At the French Court, hat badges cropped up, stitched liberally on fancy chapeaus, circa the late 16th century. Greek and Roman themes alongside biblical themes predominated. Personal symbols and designs were also popular.
Diamonds and emeralds were the ranking gems in value at the time. More diamonds flowed to the European market due to the diamond discoveries in Brazil, causing fear among jewelers that market saturation would devalue the gem. In reality, more diamonds meant more diamond set jewels and more gems per jewel. The closed-back settings of the period helped reflect diffused candlelight adding some glitter to the primitave diamond cuts. Some jewelers began to augment their inventories with other less costly gems such as chrysoberyl, pink topaz, garnet, rock crystal, and glass to decorate their creations. A customer’s choice of gemstone was often influenced by the writings of such notables as Pliny the Elder, Aristotle, Dioscorides, and others, with special attributes and meanings of each gem being supplied in their texts.
Fabric bows, traditionally used to attach and adorn the clothing of both men and women, were so popular that c.1600 they morphed into gem-set jewelry versions. Soon bows glittering with diamonds took the top spot on the jewelry hit parade.
Jasperware cameos created by Josiah Wedgwood c.1770s reflecting neoclassic and contemporary themes were popular. Hearts bearing both the symbolism of love and of protection found many styles and forms. From Scottish silver and agate versions to those pavéd with diamonds, struck through with arrows, or perched with doves, heart-shaped brooches sent a clear message. Shapes such as sunbursts, stars, and crescents created a plethora of celestial-themed jewels to wear. Geometric enamel plaques sporting royal blue enamel topped with diamond-set motifs were de rigueur.
1820-1840
Spikey sprays of flowers and/or leaves pavéd with diamonds sprouted everywhere. An updated version of these diamond designs in a cartouche form with the addition of en girandole pear-shaped drops came on the scene c.1830 Colored gems framed with repoussé or cuir roule floral and foliate motifs turned up c.1835. Enameled plaques with Renaissance-style paintings as their subject were framed similarly. Large brooches in elongated shapes suspending tassels and pendants usually featured a pendant loop for additional wearing options.
Cameo brooches approached epic proportions and were worn at the neck, on the breast, and securing shawls and ribbons. Shell as a material for carving cameos made possible a personalized portrait or one-of-a-kind design often commissioned by globetrotters. A brooch with a literary theme or scene from antiquity indicated a well-traveled and enlightened wearer.
Parures de corsage, designed in triplicate, were pinned in a vertical arrangement. Another style, a bit less ostentatious, featured a generously proportioned colored stone within a diamond surround.
1840-1860
Designs during the first half of Queen Victoria’s long reign included Medieval and Renaissance revival, alongside fantasy and natural themes. Floral symbolism was in full blossom and the meaning behind these blooms was employed to communicate messages of fidelity, loyalty, adoration, peace, friendship, and much more.
Other natural themes included en tremblant floral sprays, branches, leaves, grapes, and berries. Serpents displayed the wisdom of the wearer and their hope for eternal life.
The French occupation of Algeria infused jewelry design with knots, tassels, ribbons, cords, and Moorish motifs.
Garnets in the form of carbuncles and other large gemstones cut en cabochon were surrounded with scroll motif mountings. Pavé-set turquoise was another colorful addition to brooches of this period. Cameos carved from amethyst, onyx chalcedony, and other gemstones were joined by the more easily carved shell cameos.
The advent of train travel allowed the European tour to be available to more levels of society. As travelers experienced various cultures, different and varied gem materials and design aesthetics found a new audience. Coral was popularized as a gem material c.1845-1865. Seed pearl designs stitched on a mother-of-pearl backing displayed incredible detail. Other materials such as bog oak, petrified wood, horn, lava, and granite also joined these unusual jewelry materials. Scottish “pebble” jewelry rose to the forefront with Queen Victoria’s purchase of Balmoral Castle and her intense interest in all things Scottish. Exquisitely detailed Swiss enamel jewelry with its painterly style also entered the mix.
1860-1880
Deep cabochon stones with inlaid pearls or gemstones encircled with gold were a staple of the era. Tortoiseshell brooches were decorated with pique designs. Revival styles were at their peak with the inspiration of the Campana collection to invigorate jewelry design. Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian historical motifs flourished. Techniques used by the ancients had to be rediscovered in order for accurate depictions to be produced. Souvenir jewelry carved from lava, inlaid with mosaics, or enhanced with enamel could depict anything from antiquity, nature, or favorite tourist themes.
Insect, bird, and bat brooches were abundant, created from genuine bugs (sometimes alive!), feathers, and butterfly wings. Additionally, there were enamel, gold, and gemstone versions. Brooches composed of three-dimensional woven hairwork designs and brooches with hairwork under glass memorialized loved ones along with jet and onyx in somber themes. Hunting, sporting, and nautical motifs declared one’s interests and whimsy. Floral sprays could now jiggle realistically on en tremblant mountings.
1880-1900
Smaller brooches were worn in thematically unrelated bunches. Stars and crescents were more elaborate and dainty than previous versions. Diamonds were always the preference but these celestial brooches were also popularly set with pearls, opals, turquoise, or rubies.
Buggy critters stole the show c.1890s with butterflies, spiders dragonflies, bees, and flies. Bar brooches, upon which perched every genre of creature, celestial body, flora, and fauna, joined the fray at this time.
Rosettes, plumes, and feather motifs adorned by all manner of gemstones. Pansies sprouted everywhere in rich enameled colors.
Horsey and fishing motifs, sporting dogs, racquets, and clubs continued to be popular but fancied up a bit and inclusive of more animals and equipment. Musical instruments joined the novelty brooch category.
Japanese-themed motifs and techniques came to the forefront with the reopening of the East to the West. Art Nouveau brooches were teeming with this Asian influence.
Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements changed the styling of brooches from spikey and busy to more sleek and stylized designs. Plique-à-jour enamel could now provide shimmering color, while polychrome enamel depicted realistic designs and themes. Mississippi River pearls, Montana sapphires, and other US local gems were in the spotlight. Other gems, not considered ‘precious,’ from around the world featured abundantly in jewelry designs of the era.
Twentieth Century
South African diamond mines were in full swing and spreading diamonds far and wide. The rising industrialist and merchant classes, financial gamblers, and entrepreneurs comprised the newly wealthy. These nouveau riche were spending their freshly amassed millions in the spheres formerly available only to aristocrats and crowned heads. These wealthy collectors and imitators of the aristocracy measured their success in ostentation and outward appearance. The availability of gemstones and the new pool of clients was a match made in heaven for jewelers. All those couturier clothes and their sparkling adornments were a party in the making!
Suzy Menkes notes in the Style section of The New York Times June 2, 1998:
Yet there have been genuinely close links between designer jewels and clothes ever since the rise of both couture and high jewelry houses in the 19th century. As Meredith Etherington-Smith puts it in the sale catalogue (Christie’s): ‘As the century went forward, jewelry became the province not just of the royal courts of Europe, but of the newly emergent powerful and wealthy upper and middle classes, and the designer became important as a status symbol.'4
1900-1920
While Art Nouveau continued into the first decade of the new millennium, it was joined by the Edwardian aesthetic. Platinum became a viable jewelry material and early Edwardian brooches were platinum on top, backed by a layer of gold. Those eschewing the Art Nouveau aesthetic welcomed the garland style with its delicate mountings and openwork. The use of platinum allowed for elegant, lacy motifs, paired with diamonds for an all “white” look. Bow brooches with realistic poof, knots and ribbons, garlands, and devant de corsages were rendered in this newly workable metal punctuated by a plethora of diamonds. Circle and bar brooches pierced, enameled, and bejeweled with diamonds and other gemstones dominated the era. Still having a critical function, bar brooches were used to gather the lace around a neckline. Pre-war, mill graining lightened settings and added sparkle.
Restyling feminine fashion, Paul Poiriet designed his popular garments without the use of corsets and extreme bodices. The large devants de corsage had nowhere to go and the garland style gave way to geometric motifs and black and white embellishments presaging the Art Deco era.
Novelty motifs continued with the addition of modern machinery, car parts, and airplanes. Men sported tie pins with good luck charms and gemstones, themes from sports, industry, and hobbies, and virtually any colorful motif. Suffragists declared their beliefs with jewelry depicting their cause, often using gem colors to hint at their allegiance. Buttons printed with slogans and symbols of the cause were stamped out by machines and pinned on by thousands.
The war years created a new breed of jewelry – sweetheart. All forms of jewelry were represented but the pins offered the wearer an opportunity to boldly state that they had someone serving their country. An international trend, they sported symbols of various branches of service (some with rank), pictures of loved ones, flags, and in-service stars, these pins were made of plastic, precious metals, metal alloys, enamel, mother-of-pearl, glass, leather, ceramic, and even wood. Buttons with war and service-related slogans were printed by the thousands.
Jewelry innovation was halted by the onset of World War I.
1920-1940
Having adapted to the workforce in a myriad of masculine roles in support of the war effort, women of the Roaring 20s adopted the freer dress they had become accustomed to. Jewelry no longer proclaimed status but became a necessary accessory to complement her ensemble. No reflections of eras past, the modern woman insisted on everything new and reflective of her lifestyle. Inspiration came from all corners of the globe. Jaipur colorfully enameled jewelry, carved colored gems, sarpech, and tassels inspired by the traditions of India were represented. Geometric and stylized designs derived from Islamic art inspiration were combined with Western traditions. Pagodas and dragons invaded from the East along with jadeite and mother-of-pearl. African mask and other motifs found their way into the mix.
Novelty continued to reign, with sports, automobiles, tennis players, yachts, and planes pinned with abandon. An architectural style, including skyscrapers, columns, arches, ancient ruins, and other construction elements, can be found throughout. The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb reignited Egyptomania and designs with an Egyptian influence, albeit with a decidedly modern twist, reigned supreme. Modernist creations derivative of such unlikely inspiration as machinery, lent a new bent to jewelry design.
Rocks, “semiprecious” gems, rock crystal, jade, onyx, and coral flowed from the lapidary’s creative hands. Diamonds often relinquished the starring role serving a secondary role adding a bit of twinkle or sparkle.
Brooches and pins of every conceivable motif were pinned on hats, sashes, belts, and shoulders. Carved gem flowers flowed from vases and baskets in giardinetto glory.
Dress clips served dual duty as a pair to adorn lapels, decolletage, sashes, hats, and evening bags; joined they functioned as a magnificent single brooch. By the late 30s, clips took on a more sculptural three-dimensional design with ribbon, swirl, and volute motifs.
Sûreté pins, like a double-headed stick pin, usually featured a larger motif at the fixed end and a removable, often smaller, corresponding motif at the other end securing the pin.
The increasing use of platinum made brooch wearing possible on the filmy fabrics favored during the Roaring 20s. However, by the 1930s platinum became a necessary war metal and a resurgence of gold popularity followed. Stylized naturalism appeared near the end of the 1930s, and acres of invisibly set gemstones in floral and foliate motifs hit the market from Van Cleef & Arpels.
1940-1960
Gemstones mined in faraway places were deemed nonessential for the war effort making it nearly impossible to get them to market. Metals were rationed and reserved for the fight. Jewelry manufacturing centers in Europe were stifled by the war. However, some clever and well-stocked Parisian firms recycled, reset existing jewels, and reached into their vaults for additional stones amassed in earlier times.
Big bold rose, green, and yellow gold jewels were made possible by assaying with more copper and taking advantage of gold’s malleability, spreading it thinly but molding it boldly. The scarcity of precious gemstones brought bolder “semi-precious” stones to the forefront of fine jewelry.
Design inspiration included tank treads, bolts, chains, and other war machinery bits and bobs. Patriotic brooches marched across lapels. Symbolic designs subtly stated antiwar sentiments. Sweetheart jewelry made a reappearance with patriotic symbols and sentiments galore.
Double clip brooches, worn together or separately sometimes did double duty by clipping to a bracelet or necklace for a new look.
Naturalism reappeared in the late 1940s with animal brooches leading the charge. Domestic cats, dogs, and birds were proudly pinned alongside exotics like panthers, snakes, and parrots. Flowers, leaves, snowflakes, and even shafts of wheat displayed calibre-cut gems and included the magnificent invisibly set Van Cleef & Arpels flowerheads. Not to be left behind, human figural motif brooches such as ballerinas, clowns, and golfers, paraded across many a decolletage.
An abstract quality was applied to designs as textured and textile motifs found their way to being rendered in precious metals. Naturalism, bows and ribbons, clips, and figurals continued as the themes of choice. Pleated, pierced, knotted, woven, and twisted as if made of fabric these magnificent brooches could not be missed, the chunkier the better. Textural finishes matted the reflection of all that gold.
According to Bennett & Mascetti
The association of naturalism and abstraction produced many brooches, typical of the 1950s, designed as spiky and jagged entwined leaves decorated with diamonds and coloured stones. A combination of the two tendencies is also noticeable in brooches where flowerheads and leaves are schematically sketched rather than botanically designed.5
Following the war, artisan jewelry with abstract designs, sculptural elements, and even kinetic mobile-like sculptures mated artist and artisan. Post-war veteran’s programs taught jewelry making, infusing the jewelry world with a new breed of jeweler. Traditional materials were often replaced by aluminum, plastics, found objects, and other humble materials.
On the flip side, fabulous diamond-studded creations enjoyed renewed popularity during the post-war boom of the 1950s. There was a decided penchant for wearing gold, colorful gems, and enamels in the sunshine juxtaposed by diamonds set in platinum and white gold glimmering on evening wear. Brooches were often paired with matching earrings, necklaces, and/or bracelets for suites to complement 50s fashion.
1960-1980
Science fiction had become a reality and humans were shooting toward space. Jewelry inspiration took its cue from Sputnick, rockets, satellites, and the celestial bodies they aimed for. Segregated by purpose and presumably value, brooch collections (and all jewelry) were divided into magnificent jewelry to be stored in a vault and every day, fun jewelry to be worn and enjoyed without worry.
While naturalism continued in popularity, abstraction, Brutalism, and heavy stylization characterized many interpretations of the theme in the brooches of the 1960s. Abstract designs with wild colors, textures from sandblasting, hammering and plaiting, crystal clusters, and shells, along with jagged-edged creations prevailed.
Iconic animal motifs punctuated the era with elephants, giraffes squirrels, and domestic cats and dogs. The famous jewelry houses of the period all had their own, very recognizable menageries of critters. Much of the jewelry produced at this time was designed as demi-parures, especially for daywear.
Women were more likely than ever before to choose and purchase their own jewelry. Brand-name jewelers became important in this area. Cartier’s “Love” bracelet, VCA’s “Alhambra” designs and Bulgari’s ancient coin inspirations were emblematic of this new breed of woman. Affordable gems such as coral, malachite, amethyst, rose quartz, and aquamarine cut en cabochon were a rich look for a less-than-wealthy budget.
Make no mistake, there were also plenty of diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald brooches to be worn. Taking advantage of the plethora of diamond and gemstone cuts now available to designers, clever arrangements of pear shapes, baguettes, brilliants, and marquises formed flowers, wreaths, ribbons, and sputniky starbursts were produced in abundance.
Extremely wealthy patrons from the Middle East were seeking out more magnificent suites of jewelry c.1970s. Design inspiration was often drawn from cultural sources, classic design, and the impressive textiles making up the traditional clothing of the region.
1980-2000
Photo Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Women in the workplace were styling with a more androgynous look, adapting suits for office and evening wear. Jewelry to accent this new wardrobe was more often than not selected by the women who would be wearing it. Brooches were the perfect accent to all those newly peaked lapels. More money meant better jewelry and gold and colorful gems were in the spotlight. Jewelry designers were following the Bulgari aesthetic with smooth, rounded shapes with natural motifs like birds, fish, and foliage. Repeating motifs that could be created in multiples and then assembled into various jewelry forms comprised a good deal of Bulgari’s designs. Yellow gold with precious gems in rich colors, everything was stylized, buffed, and polished. Other designers joined the frey with Marina B providing reversible jewelry, JAR went sculptural with gradient gem progressions in artistic arrangements.
Jewelry was no longer the sole purview of the great jewelry houses, the fashion houses wanted a piece of the action as well. While a good deal of their jewelry was fashion jewelry, they took inspiration from historical styles and forms. Bright, colorful “gems” and big bold statements were the norm. According to “Fashion Jewellery: Made in Italy”:
But the stars of the show, particularly in the second half of the eighties were brooches. Taking inspiration from those of the ’40s, they were large and showy, with reflective and shiny surfaces to capture light, full of coloured stones, ideal for illuminating and customizing a strictly black dress or jacket. Jackets had become a basic part of apparel and they were not only a complimentary part of the very popular suit with padded wide shoulders (except those of Armani, unlined without padding), narrow and tight waist to accentuate the roundness of the breasts, sometimes with gathered sleeves to give yet more volume to the bust. Brooches could be of current production, but the most popular were vintage, which were imported from America and quickly sold out.6
Fine jewelers were sourcing their gems from the finest locations. Burmese rubies and Kashmir sapphires from the east, Columbian emeralds from South America, and colored diamonds from Africa and Australia. All the major jewelry houses were on board with big jewelry including Tiffany with their Fireworks Brooch, Bulgari’s Carré line, Boivin with huge carved colored stones and oversize creations with precious and semi-precious side by side. The gem laboratories were issuing a record number of reports on diamonds and precious gemstones. It was a heady time for jewelry.
Photo Courtesy of Christie’s.
The functional necessity of pins and clips may have fallen to other inventions and innovations, but the decorative and symbolic roles assumed by brooches remain. Throughout the millennia, they have endured as a steadfast method of proclaiming status, providing identification, declaring association, displaying emotions, and hearlding symbolism and diplomacy. Brooches have always been a convenient way to wear your heart on your sleeve, or anywhere you choose. From secret lovers to love betrothed, Suffragists to contemporary protestors, HIV ribbons to LGBTQIA+ rainbows, flags to politics, wearing your message on a brooch or pin remains a celebrated way to proclaim your beliefs, ideologies, and heartfelt causes for all the world to witness.
Related Reading
Sources
- Albright, Madeleine (with Shocas, Elaine, Becker, Vivienne, and Woodward, Bill). Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box. New York, NY: Melcher Media, 2009.
- Bennett, David & Mascetti, Daniela. Understanding Jewellery. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Antique Collectors’ Club, 2008.
- Bennett, David & Mascetti, Daniela. Understanding Jewellery, The 20th Century. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: ACC Art Books Ltd., 2021.
- Cera, Deanna Farneti. Fashion Jewellery: Made in Italy.Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Antique Collectors’ Club, 2013.
- Church, Rachel. Brooches and Badges. London: Thames & Hudson, ©Victoria and Albert Museum, 2019.
- Menkes, Suzy (International Herald Tribune). “Couture’s Crowning Glory: Designer Jewels.” New York Times, June 2, 1998. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/02/style/IHT-coutures-crowning-glory-designer-jewels.html?searchResultPosition=1, Accessed 06/19/2024.
- Roberts, Hugh. The Queen’s Diamonds. Royal Collection Trust, ©HM Queen Elizabeth II, 2012.
- Snider, Nick. Sweetheart Jewelry and Collectibles. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1995.
Venkataraman, Divya. “Brooch warfare: when the Queen’s fashion got political.” Vogue (Australia). 09 Sept 2022, www.vogue.com.au/fashion/news/brooch-warfare-when-the-queens-fashion-got-political/news-story/87c99ad41bd9ea748e4ddd38ea1ad91f, Accessed: 6/13/2024.