Brooches - Historical Fashion Statement

Nicola here, talking about brooches. Although I love sparkly jewelry, mainly rings and earrings, I’ve never worn brooches very much.  Maybe I associated brooches with my grandmother in the same way that I thought of scarves and lavender, both of which I’ve come around to appreciating over the years. I’ve a number of brooches in my drawer but they don’t see the light of day very often. Well, that’s about to change.

Last year in the UK, Lady Hale, the president of the supreme court caused a sensation in several ways, with her ruling on the prorogation of parliament but also because of the enormous spider brooch that she was wearing at the time. This caused a fashion phenomenon and the sale of spider brooches soared whilst brooches in general became a hot trend. It turns out that Lady Hale has quite a selection of over-sized brooches, including an emerald green frog, a centipede, a beetle and a fox.

Looking at the history of brooches, it makes sense that the first ones were utilitarian rather than decorative, made of thorns or flint and used to secure clothing in place. The use of metal pins can be traced back to the Bronze Age. Given that a love of adornment is as old as human nature though, it wasn’t long before the brooch turned into something more than simply a way of holding your clothes together. Early brooches were often big, made of bronze or silver, in order to secure heavy wool but they were also ornamental, saying a great deal about the wearer’s social and economic status. They could be extremely valuable possessions and as such would be buried with their owner.

Both the Celts and the Vikings produced highly ornate brooches as part of their culture and these designs are still very popular today. Not only were these early brooches all about status but they were also an expression of skill on the part of the goldsmith or other metal worker. The intricate geometric patterns, animal shapes, coiling snakes and other designs could also have religious connotations. Viking brooches have been found with designs such as Thor’s hammer on them. Early medieval jewellery like this was often inset with precious gems such as amber and emerald and even now when it’s discovered in treasure hoards it is stunning.

I’ve read a bit about how Queen Elizabeth I used brooches and other jewellery as statement items with loads of symbolism attached – as well as pearls symbolising chastity she favoured the serpent to denote wisdom. A particularly fascinating brooch belonged to Queen Catherine Parr. It was made for her by her favourite goldsmith and is described thus:

‘a flower with a crown, garnished with xv small diamonds and in the midst of the flower is a ruby with two diamonds and one emerald, and the three pearls pendant.’

By the time Anne of Denmark inherited the brooch in 1606, two of the diamonds were missing and it was sent away to be repaired.

When I was reading up about the history of brooches I came across “the Grand Tour brooch” which was a concept I hadn’t heard of before. In addition to bringing back illegally-and-other acquired antiquities, young gentlemen would return from their travels in Europe with souvenir brooches that reflected their cultural sophistication. This reminded me of the costumed dolls my grandfather would bring back for me from his travels abroad! Whilst travelling through Venice and Florence and Rome, tourists would buy little jewelled brooches that featured Roman architecture or classical designs of flowers, birds or animals. The brooches were generally made of mosaic inlay with semi-precious stones or glass.

Am I the only one who finds eye miniatures slightly creepy? They became fashionable in the late 18^th century when George, Prince of Wales, wanted to send Maria Herbert a love token and in order to be discreet (which sounds unlikely for George) sent a painting of his eye so that no one would recognise who it was when she wore it. The eye miniature became so popular and fashionable that it started to appear on rings, snuffboxes and other jewellery, sometimes accompanied by a lock of hair as an extra symbol of love.

The mourning brooch, which had been a symbol of commemoration for centuries, also gained more popularity in the Victorian era following the death of Prince Albert in 1861. Often, they were distributed to family and friends under the terms of a will. They depicted scenes of sorrow in sepia tones, with seed pearls incorporated to represent tears. Again, preserving a lock of the loved one’s hair within the brooch was particularly popular. During Queen Victoria’s mourning, woven hair brooches combined with black jet jewellery were very fashionable. Cameo brooches, which originated in 3^rd century Rome, also made a comeback in the Victorian era and remained popular into the 20^th century. I inherited a couple from my grandmother and love their elegance.

Finally, as we approach Valentine’s Day, it’s important to mention sweetheart brooches. These could feature miniatures of your romantic partner and were adorned with crescent moons, stars, butterflies, animals, birds and flowers. The most popular jewels for decorating a sweetheart brooch were opals, pearls and rhinestones for fidelity. These brooches became very popular at the start of the First World War when departing soldiers would give them to their loved ones as a token.

These days costume jewellery brooches are on trend and we come back to Lady Hale and her spider brooch. Larger-than-life jewellery is all the rage, which leads to my question: Are you a fan of brooches (gentlemen, even if you haven’t completed the Grand Tour, this is one for you too) and if so, what would be your brooch design of choice?

Comments

[Anne Gracie]

Great post, Nicola. I'm very fond of brooches, and have quite a few. My favourite is a silver brooch with two brolgas (Australian birds like a heron — but they dance) and some vegetation.

I also love the viking-style ring brooches, though I don't own one -- yet.

My biggest worry about brooches is that they'll come unfastened and I'll lose them. Some of my favourites are not at all valuable, but I love them and would hate to lose them.

[Mary Jo Putney]

I'm another in the brooches camp, not to mention loving scarves to a slightly unhealthy point and liking lavender as well. I must have been born old. *G* I like big splashy pins that are usually circle based. Most are Celtic, but I have a Viking one or two. I usually put one on outside coats and jackets to brighten things up. But NO insects!

[Pamela DG]

I have inherited several brooches and have purchased a couple for myself over the years. My favorites are my grandmother's cameos, and the Art Deco Dog I found in a junk store (I've not yet found a cat brooch). They add a little pizzazz to suits and casual clothing alike, and serve a function to keep my scarves in place when I wear one. When I wear a plaid, a thistle brooch is definitely in order!

[theo]

I have an absolutely gorgeous broach I wear on my black wool coat. It's actually a wheel with wings to represent Mercury but as I live in Michigan, people often mistake it for the Red Wings hockey team logo. It's a good three and a half inches long and covered in Swarovski. One of my favorite pieces left to me by my aunt. She had several and I do try to wear them, but this one is just stunning so never comes off the coat. I wish I could post pictures in the comments, but I don't know how.

[Nicola Cornick]

I love the sound of the brolga brooch, Anne. Dancing birds! Brooches can be a bit difficult, can't they - if they aren't making holes in clothing there's the risk of losing them. I've only got one brooch that has a safety catch on it.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL, Mary Jo, I don't think it's being old, more appreciating the true worth of things! The Celtic broockes are fabulous but like you. I'd rather not have insects, snakes or other reptiles!

[Nicola Cornick]

I love the idea of an art deco dog brooch, Pamela! I hope you find a cat one to match! I think the way they can add something extra to an outfit is really cool, and what could be nicer that an thistle brooch with traditional Scottish dress?

[Nicola Cornick]

What a fabulous brooch, theo!It would be lovely to see it but we can just imagine how stunning it must be!

[Sue McCormick]

Other than my earrings, I seldom wear any jewelry –– and I seldom change those!

But I DO love brooches, and I own several. I just don't wear them!

My reason for avoiding jewelry? I'm a klutz. i loose things, I scrape me, other people, and furniture with them, and just generally cause chaos when i am wearing jewelry.

[Janice]

What a lovely article.

Like Sue I own several pins/brooches (what is the difference, anyway?) but I seldom wore them. It had been the fashion in my mother's day to wear a bright pin near the face so as to draw attention upwards, and I had scatter pins as well as bigger pins that would go on the lapel of my winter coat. But all that went away.

Then denim came into fashion and like everybody I had half a dozen denim jackets, and suddenly I had a place to put those pins my mom had given me. So now (when I remember it), I wear the bright golden maple leaf she gave me and sometimes even the little redwood horse I got in a Monterey giftshop on one of our rare vacations (to see if anybody's really paying attention). And I'm never letting go of my Joan Rangers badge :)

[Kareni]

I do have several brooches, but I've all but forgotten about them as I rarely RARELY wear any jewelry. I remember now that I have a gold letter K from my grandmother and a Celtic enamel brooch from my first man friend; I'd have to go digging to see if there are others I've forgotten. Thanks for an enjoyable post, Nicola. I'll confess to looking online to see other brooches belonging to Lady Hale.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne, I bought a bunch of those little plastic earring stops that slide on earring wires to prevent them from falling off. They work just as well on brooch pins. After the brooch is position, I slide the plastic stop on and it stays put. Like you, I don't want want to lose my brooches!

[Anne Gracie]

Great suggestion, Mary Jo. Most of my brooches do have a little twirly thing that's supposed to keep the pin in place, but I'll certainly follow up that idea for those that don't.

When I was in school, we had official badges issued to us for various things (I was a House Captain) and even though they had the twirly pin-guard thingy (technical term ;), they also had fine little chains with a tiny safety pin attached as a secondary source of security. That's what I'd like for my special brooches.

[Anne Gracie]

Theo, you could try posting a photo on the wench FaceBook page, in the comments after the post about Nicola's blog. I'll see if I can pop my brolga brooch there, too.

[Andrea Penrose]

What a wonderful blog, Nicola. I love the look of brooches, but have never really figured out how to wear them as I don't wear jackets very much, which seem to work with a lapel. I'm more of sweater person, and a brooch never quite looks right to b my eye. I nee a guide book.

I also love scarves . . .and lavender. So, I guess I'm old-fashioned too!

[Andrea Penrose]

Mary Jo, call me tech challenged, but how do they stop the pin part from coming undone? Because they press up hard against the squiggly clasp that can come undone?

[Nicola Cornick]

That is an excellent idea!

[Nicola Cornick]

Sue, that's such a shame! Although I can see that a brooch could cause you and other people quite a bit of damage!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Janice, I am glad you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun reading up on the topic. I never knew that about scatter pins on lapels! Fascinating. I love the fact that you still have your maple leaf, and the redwood horse sounds beautiful :)

[Nicola Cornick]

Hi Kareni
I couldn't find a good picture of Lady Hale's brooches to post up here so I'm glad you were able to see them online. I don#t really like the spider - too big - or the centipede - too slithery - but I quite liked the frog and the fox!

[Nicola Cornick]

Well, I think we all are, Andrea! Like you I don' wear jackets often and I'm thinking of starting to have coat lapel brooches instead but they would have to be big!

[Peg from DCf]

I inherited a lot of costume brooches from a relative. She wore suits a lot in the 1950s and 1960s, and brooches are a great accessory for them. I don't wear suits, so what to do with them? I took a quilted corduroy vest and pinned about 20 brooches on it. Dressed up the vest and let me remember my relative when I wore it.

[Constance]

Chiming in very late, I know, but I hope some of you who love brooches will see this: there is another blog/website/newsletter I follow (imagine that!) called "From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault". It tracks Queen Elizabeth's daily jewelry choices and provides great history about the individual pieces. And since HM seems to wear a brooch every time she appears in public, it's an opportunity for those of us who love brooches to see another whole level of lapel decoration! But despite not owning that level of brooch, I have many I've been gifted or have purchased or inherited, and I wear one almost every day, even as the trend goes in and out of style. They make me happy, can be great conversation starters, and often hold treasured memories (if not treasured gems!).

[theo]

I posted it :) And your brooch is very cool! So are the others. I have a few Miracle brooches as well, but I won't keep posting. I could fill a page ;)

[Nicola Cornick]

That's a lovely way to remember someone, Peg, and a really neat way of displaying the brooches!

[Nicola Cornick]

Wow! Thanks for the information about the Queen's jewellery collection, Constance. Now there is a lady who understands brooch symbolism like her namesake! I love the idea of a brooch being a conversation starter as well as a memento!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks so much for sharing, Theo!

[Annette N]

I thank you for this post. And the pictures are lovely.

I like brooches and I have quite a few. When I worked for FEMA for years, all we wore were FEMA shirts with jeans. Not much opportunity for brooches....but I did wear them - all angel pins. I had all kinds. I loved them.

I have quite a few of the angels left, but I also others, bugs, flowers, and stuff. You have reminded me that I need to get them out and start enjoying them again.

Thanks.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks for posting your lovely brooch, Theo. Mary Jo and I have also posted a brooch photo on the wench FB page, so if anyone wants to join in the brooch-a-thon, the address is here:
https://www.facebook.com/wordwenches/

[Teresa Broderick]

I'm not big into jewellery either other than my earrings and wedding ring. My mother had brooches and when she died my daughter got them. They were always discussing jewels and style.
An item in your post that caught my eye was the doll collection. I have one of dolls from different countries. I don't travel myself but friends have brought them back to me over the years. I have quite a collection now and they bring back memories of the people who gave them to me. Unfortunately you can hardly ever get them anymore.
Lovely post.

[Vicki L]

Thank you so much for mentioning the website about Queen Elizabeth's jewelry choices. I'm always trying to see what she is wearing and this is a great way to really see (and understand.)

[Susan/DC]

Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, was known for her brooches, and I think that sometimes they were symbolic as well as ornamental. I also have vague memories of the Duchess of Windsor's brooch collection. She had ones, like Lady Hale's, that were based on animals I'd never think to wear for ornamentation. I do like the Celtic and Viking brooches, however.

[Karin]

Like pearls, brooches are a jewelry item I had to age into. I didn't appreciate them when I was younger, but now I enjoy them. My favorite place to trawl for costume brooches is in thrift shops or antique shops. A couple of my finds are a lovely flower brooch that looks like blue topaz, but could be just glass, and an engraved carnelian brooch in a silver setting with marcasite. It looks very art nouveau. I use them to fasten scarves, but they're also a nice accessory on a sweater.

[Candice Hern]

I'm mostly a bracelet person, but since I collect Georgian jewelry, I like to wear some of those old brooches now and then. I have a couple of big cameos that I love to wear. And I enjoy wearing my lover's eyes precisely because they ARE a bit creepy. I get the biggest get out of the double-takes people do when they realize what they're seeing. "Is that ... an EYE?" LOL!

Lovely article, Nicola.

[Nicola Cornick]

I hope you enjoy re-discovering them, Annette! I love angel jewellery.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Teresa. I'm glad you enjoyed the blog! How wonderful that you have a costumed doll collection! I'm hoping my mother still has mine stashed away in her house. They are a real period piece now.

[Nicola Cornick]

I've just looked up Madeleine Albright's collection of brooches and it definitely seems that like the Queen and Lady Hale she used them to good, symbolic effect!

[Nicola Cornick]

What fabulous fun it must be to go searching for brooches like that! I love the sound of them, especially the blue flower brooch!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much, Candice. That's very funny about wearing the eye brooches - I can imagine people stopping and staring!

[Robin Rustad]

If the brooch's pin is thin and long enough, you can use the little plastic tubes that are designed to prevent hooked ear wires from sliding out of your ears to reduce the risk. Slide that onto the pin on the back of the fabric before pining back through to the front to latch the brooch.
My grandmother also has some metal ones that I think were meant for hat pins, but I don't know where to find one.

[Nicola Cornick]

Another great tip! This blog has been really helpful for that. Thank you!

[Margot]

I enjoyed this posting and all the replies. In my youth we wore brooches and pins of various types. I still have many and do not find much use for them now. My husband collected British Rail pins of various sizes, as well as some USA RR emblems. After he passed away I pinned them all onto a blue piece of material and have it on display in my home. I guess men in more recent years mostly wear tie tacks or clips and small lapel pins.
I may just have to pin all my assorted collection in a similar fashion so I can see them more often.

[Lynn]

I have a lot of jewelry that may be worn as a pendant or a brooch. I live in a warm client and usually wear light fabrics. I seldom wear them as brooches as they would put holes in the fabric. My cotton t-shirts are very sturdy but have you noticed a lot of the new stretchy man made fabrics catch on all types of jewelry?

[Nicola Cornick]

That sounds a wonderful way to display all those pins, Margot. I love the idea of turning them into a piece of art! I bet they are a fascinating bit of history too.