Compared to most items of jewellery which are purely ornamental, the humble brooch was first created thousands of years ago as a practical item to hold a person’s clothes together. Since that time it has been designed into an endless array of forms and materials, some more novel than others. Although brooches today have largely lost their practical purpose, they remain small statements worn on our chest which can add a splash of colour or character to the wearer. Antique and Vintage brooches remind us of a time when these small pieces of jewellery were crucial to our everyday wear. As such one finds not only fun novelty pieces, but extremely fine examples in gold and silver. Often these better-quality items will be accented with diamonds or pearls which showed off the skill of the maker.
As items which can be worn and admired on a daily basis, antique and vintage brooches are a great addition to any jewellery collection. At LoveAntiques we have a fine selection of quality Antique and Vintage brooches.
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Georg Jensen Silver Brooch
£ 150
£ 26,950
£ 2,950
Vintage 8.85ct Chrysoprase & Seed Pearl, 18ct White Gold Brooch / Pendant c.1940
£ 2,950
AC Silver
£ 2,650
Penrose Antiques Ltd
Charles Horner Turquoise Silver Brooch 1904
£ 60
£ 1,995
£ 75
£ 2,650
Vintage 0.50ct Green Tourmaline & 18ct Yellow Gold Double Horse & Jockey Brooch c.1960
£ 2,650
AC Silver
£ 5,450
Antique Pearl, 2.02ct Sapphire & 4.95ct Diamond, 18ct Yellow Gold Brooch c.1910
£ 5,450
AC Silver
Aion Jewellery
Gaming Interest Silver Gilt Stick Pin
£ 45
Aion Jewellery
Norwegian Silver Filigree Brooch
£ 55
Aion Jewellery
Lovely Edwardian Silver & Emerald Glass Bar Brooch
£ 45
£ 195
Aion Jewellery
Edwardian Silver & Guilloche Enamel Butterfly Brooch
£ 110
£ 56
Vittori & Hive
Victorian Silver Brooch – 1894 Happy New Year
£ 41
£ 141
Art Deco Silver Bull Brooch + Ruby Eyes Hallmark London 1935 Louis Simpson & Co
£ 141
Vittori & Hive
£ 228
Bridport Antiques at The Alleyways Centre
Nurses Belt Buckle Brooch
£ 55
Aion Jewellery
Art Deco Silver Gilt Terrier Brooch
£ 125
Aion Jewellery
Arts & Crafts Enamel Brooch/buckle
£ 75
Andrew Cox Antiques
Stunning Silver Brooch Set with Gold Mounted Amethyst
£ 145
AC Silver
Antique Art Nouveau 3.02ct Peridot & 3.41ct Diamond, 14ct Yellow Gold Pendant / Brooch c.1890
£ 5,950
Antique Art Nouveau 3.02ct Peridot & 3.41ct Diamond, 14ct Yellow Gold Pendant / Brooch c.1890
£ 5,950
AC Silver
Jonathan Green Antiques Ltd
Beautiful Antique Victorian Gold & Blue Enamel Brooch
£ 550
£ 1,595
Antique 0.13ct Diamond, Ruby & Enamel, 14ct Yellow Gold Cockerel Bar Brooch c.1900
£ 1,595
AC Silver
£ 4,950
Aion Jewellery
Charles Horner Enamelled Art Nouveau Brooch
£ 110
Celtic Heritage
Irish Made Vintage Sterling Silver Sailing Boat Brooch
£ 60
Celtic Heritage
Vintage Scottish Clan Badge, Clan Ross, Sterling Silver
£ 55
Celtic Heritage
Early 20th Century Scottish Brooch with Twist
£ 35
£ 895
£ 2,250
Aion Jewellery
Edwardian Charles Horner Silver & Amethyst Brooch
£ 75
Andrew Cox Antiques
Gorgeous Silver & Amber Brooch
£ 85
William Rand Antiques
Early 20th Century 9ct Gold Scottish Thistle Brooch
£ 145
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Marius Hammer Silver Enamel Brooch
£ 85
£ 375
Antique Georgian 14ct Gold Mourning Brooch with Seed Pearls & Black Enamel c.1800
£ 375
Artisan Antiques
Beeches Vintage
Antique Cameo Brooch
£ 35
Andrew Cox Antiques
Gorgeous Silver & Amethyst Brooch
£ 155
Aion Jewellery
Art Deco Silver & Marcasite Dress Clip
£ 55
As a practical way to hold your clothes together brooches have been around since at least the Bronze Age and possibly earlier. Prominently on display, such items quickly became a way to impart social wealth and stature through the choice of materials and design. Often Bronze, Silver or Gold was used as the main material as well as precious and semi-precious stones. As fashions changed so too did the look and style of the brooches. Today we no longer need such items for very practical purposes, but still enjoy them for their aesthetic appeal.
When examining the authenticity of vintage brooches, you’ll want to look at the small details for clues of manufacturing date. Closely examining the clasps and hinges of antique and vintage brooches will help identify what specific period in time they were most popular in. If they were by a quality maker or made of solid Silver or Gold then there may be hallmarks present as well. Different eras have different styles of jewellery and stone cuts.
Vintage brooches can be valuable if either they were made of precious metal and stones or if they were made by famous designers. Indeed even vintage costume jewellery by the big name Couturiers such as Dior or Yves Saint Laurent can be worth considerable sums now. Because makers do not have to hallmark smaller pieces of gold or silver jewellery below 8 grams it is common for there to be no marks so it is worth taking your brooch to a jeweller to get checked. While most vintage costume jewellery was cheaper when new and remains cheap today, much still has a value for people who just enjoy wearing these fun designs from the past.