Massive Victorian Bear Cloak Clasp
Located in New York, NY
Massive Victorian Bear Cloak Clasp Brooch from the late 1800's. Large and dimensional, with beautiful detailing throughout.
Antique 1870s American Late Victorian Brooches
Brass
Massive Victorian Bear Cloak Clasp
Located in New York, NY
Massive Victorian Bear Cloak Clasp Brooch from the late 1800's. Large and dimensional, with beautiful detailing throughout.
Brass
Antique Victorian 15K Yellow Gold Turquoise and Pearl Swallow Cloak Pin
Located in Staines-Upon-Thames, GB
Whilst most people don’t own a cloak these days (a very unusual pieces of jewellery, which I do not come across very often), there are so many ways this piece of jewellery can be wor...
Pearl, Turquoise, 15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Sold
W 3.06 in D 0.32 in L 0.87 in
Antique Victorian 18K Gold & Silver 3.5ctw Diamond Convertible Cloak Clip Brooch
Located in Staines-Upon-Thames, GB
This piece can be worn as a brooch, but it is also convertible for wear as a cloak, or cape, clasp.
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Victorian Cloak & Dagger Sardonyx Intaglio Pin
Located in Towson, MD
One Victorian yellow gold filled cloak and dagger sardonyx intaglio pin. The pin weighs 7.1 grams and measures 1.25" long. Sardonyx was once used as a talisman in ancient Egypt as pr...
Gold-filled
Thomas Kerr Sterling Silver Scottish Celtic Cross Cloak Pin #17650
By Kerr
Located in Washington Depot, CT
Thomas Kerr Sterling Silver Celtic Cross Scottish Cloak Pin with Yellow Faceted Stone This Celtic cross Scottish cloak pin from Edinburgh Scottland by designer Thomas Kerr was metic...
Sterling Silver
Ceres Roman Goddess Of The Earth Lava Cameo Brooch Victorian Cerere Fur Cloak
Located in New York, NY
The brooch is 18mm deep. The brooch is both 10 Karat Gold and Gold Filled.
Gold Plate, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Arts and Crafts Cloak Brooch
Located in Litchfield County, CT
Antique arts and crafts design cloak brooch with blue glass cabochon details. Unsigned.
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.