Important Charles Duron Renaissance Revival Brooch
Located in London, GB
An Important Charles Duron Renaissance Revival brooch, the oval hardstone cameo in classical style
Agate, Pearl, Turquoise, 18k Gold
Edwardian Old Cut Diamond Tiara
Located in London, GB
An Edwardian platinum diamond set tiara. This diamond tiara is beautifully handcrafted in platinum. The tiara is composed of openwork foliate garland design sections graduating down...
Diamond, Platinum, Steel
Victorian Garnet Enamel and Diamond Pendant or Brooch
Located in London, GB
A Victorian garnet, enamel and diamond pendant, set to the centre with an oval cabochon-cut garnet, measuring approximately 21.5x17.2mm, surrounded by old-cut diamond-set floral moti...
Diamond, Garnet, Yellow Gold, Silver, Enamel
Archaeological-Style Gold And Agate Cameo Bangle 1850's
Located in Firenze, IT
Period: 19th century. Provenance: Italy. Inner width: 5,8 cm Weight: 48.33gr The 19th-century bracelet is made in neo-Archaeological style, a trend that developed following count...
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold
Victorian Garnet, Diamond and Green Enamel Brooch
Located in London, GB
A Victorian garnet, diamond and green enamel brooch pendant, the central oval cabochon garnet, estimated to weigh 40 carats, surrounded by green enamel with four old brilliant-cut di...
Diamond, Garnet, 18k Gold, Enamel
Imperial Faberge Enamel Silver-Gilt Thermometer
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
An Imperial Fabergé silver-gilt and enamel thermometer, of rectangular form with semi-circular ends, the surface enamelled in translucent royal blue over banded wavy engine-turning w...
Silver
GIA Certified 104.00 Carat Natural Diamonds Platinum Riviera Necklace/Choker
Located in New Delhi, Delhi
Behold the enchantment of royalty with this Masterpiece of riviera Diamonds queen necklace. The lustrous centre GIA Certified 4.00 carat Diamond is truly captivating, while the 100 c...
Diamond
Boucheron Diamond Platinum Necklace And Brooch
By Boucheron
Located in New York, NY
A truly magnificent 1950's Boucheron diamond necklace. Designed as a stylised, flexible ribbon set with graduated and tapered baguette & step-cut diamonds, suspending an articulated ...
White Diamond, Platinum
Archaeological Revival Gold and Corallium Rubrum Bangle Bracelet 1860's
Located in Firenze, IT
The bracelet dates to the 1860s, when the neo-archaeological style developed, promoted by the Castellani goldsmith family and characterized by a revival of the decorations and techni...
Gold, 18k Gold
A turn of the 20th century diamond-set fringe tiara
Located in London, GB
A turn of the 20th century diamond-set fringe tiara, the base consisting of interlocking openwork geometric scroll sections set with small old-cut diamonds estimated to weigh 3¼ cara...
Diamond, Platinum
A Victorian Cameo And Gold Suite By Joseph Mayer
Located in London, GB
A Victorian cameo and gold suite by Joseph Mayer, the brooch set to the centre with an oval cameo measuring approximately 32 x 24 mm, the earrings each set with a cameo measuring app...
Agate, Yellow Gold, Gold
Important Faberge Red Enamel Gold Picture Frame
By Peter Carl Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Faberge red enamel and gold miniature frame, the oval frame enamelled raspberry red with a sunray guilloche ground, the oval aperture with gold laurel leaf border, the outside bord...
Yellow Gold
A late Victorian diamond-set tiara
Located in London, GB
A late Victorian diamond-set tiara, the five openwork foliate garland design sections graduating in size from the centre, each featuring three old-European cut diamonds within a pear...
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Silver
Fabergé Yellow and Rose Gold Miniature Picture Frame
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé yellow and rose gold miniature picture frame with pearl decoration and ribbon bow top, workmaster Michael Perchin, St Petersburg, circa 1895. This elegant miniature frame ...
Rose Gold
Antique Greek Mythology Cameo 18K Gold Pendant Necklace Lapis Lazuli
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Magnificient, extremely rare double-sided carved lapis lazuli cameo pendant. The exquisite carving is mounted in a fine 18K gold frame that is decorated with chiselled acanthus leave...
Lapis Lazuli, 18k Gold
Fabergé White Enamel Egg Shaped Miniature Frame
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé white enamel egg shaped miniature frame, the translucent enamel on an engine turned radiating guilloché ground, with a picture aperture surrounded by 40 seed pearls in a si...
Enamel
Faberge Lilac Enamel and Yellow Gold Frame
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
An important Faberge gold and enamel frame, the frame comprising an oval glass photograph pane with yellow gold surround, within a rectangular frame exquisitely laid with a fine lila...
Yellow Gold
Vintage brooches, which refer to decorative jewelry traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.
While jewelry trends come and go, brooches are indeed back on the radar thanks to fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, Dior and Saint Laurent, all of which feature fun pinnable designs in their current collections. Whether a dazzlingly naturalistic Art Nouveau dragonfly, a whimsical David Webb animal, a gem-studded bloom or a streamlined abstract design, these jewels add color and sparkle to your look and a spring to your step.
Given their long history, brooches have expectedly taken on a variety of different shapes and forms over time, with jewelers turning to assorted methods of ornamentation for these accessories, including enameling and the integration of pearls and gemstones. Cameo brooches that originated during the Victorian age are characterized by a shell carved in raised relief that feature portraits of a woman’s profile, while 19th-century micromosaic brooches, comprising innumerable individually placed glass fragments, sometimes feature miniature depictions of a pastoral scene in daily Roman life.
At one time, brooches were symbols of wealth, made primarily from the finest metals and showcasing exquisite precious gemstones. Today, these jewels are inclusive and universal, and you don’t have to travel very far to find an admirer of brooches. They can be richly geometric in form, such as the ornate diamond pins dating from the Art Deco era, or designer-specific, such as the celebrated naturalistic works created by Tiffany & Co., the milk glass and gold confections crafted by Trifari or handmade vintage Chanel brooches of silk or laminated sheer fabric. Chanel, of course, has never abandoned this style, producing gorgeously baroque CC examples since the 1980s.
Brooches are versatile and adaptable. These decorative accessories can be worn in your hair, on hats, scarves and on the lower point of V-neck clothing. Pin a dazzling brooch to the lapel of your blazer-and-tee combo or add a cluster of smaller pins to your overcoat. And while brooches have their place in “mourning jewelry,” in that a mourning brooch is representative of your connection to a lost loved one, they’re widely seen as romantic and symbolic of love, so much so that a hardcore brooch enthusiast might advocate for brooches to be worn over the heart.
Today, find a wide variety of antique and vintage brooches for sale on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.