$950
W 0.44 in D 0.52 in L 3.43 in
Old or Antique Estate Bronze Skull Memento Mori Stick Pin with Glass Eyes
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine vintage Memento Mori stick pin. With a figural bronze skull with glass eyes mounted on a gold filled pin shaft. The skull has a textured surface & detailed teeth and is moun...
Bronze
Unavailable
H 1.4 in W 1.6 in
Momento Mori Skull and Bones Brooch in 15 Karat Gold with Enamel and Rose Cut
Located in Houston, TX
This unusual memento mori brooch has hair inside of the deceased.
Diamond, 15k Gold
Georgian Carved Memento Mori Skull Stick Pin
Located in Boston, Lincolnshire
A Rare Antique Georgian c.1800s "Memento Mori" skull stick pin. Memento mori from Latin means: "remember that you must die". Memento mori jewellery was very popular at the Georgian t...
Silver
Unavailable
Dm 1.5 in L 0.63 in
Antique 18 Karat gold Early Victorian Memento Mori Sentimental Set of Brooch and
Located in Miami, FL
• Early Victorian • 18k gold • A brooch with white enamel measuring 38mm by 16 mm • A pair of earrings measuring 53mm by 13mm by 10mm • Brooch weight: 17.9 grams/ 11.50 dwt • Earrin...
Gold, 18k Gold
24K Gold and Black Enamel Memento Mori Brooch Inset Hair Weave
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Mid 19 century 1840's Inset hair weave Remember me in elaborate calligraphy script 24K gold human hair black oval enamel pin pinback. Rounded back 1.5" long 1.25 wide x .5" depth.
Metal
Yellow Gold Diamond Victorian Mourning Brooch -14k Mine Memento Mori Antique Pin
Located in Greensboro, NC
Era: Victorian Date: 1860s - 1870s Metal Content: 14k Yellow Gold Stone Information Natural Diamond Cut: Mine Style: Mourning Brooch Fastening Type: Hinged Pin and C-Clasp Theme:...
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Victorian Memento Mori Skull Pendant 9 Carat Gold Brooch, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This wonderful antique Memento Mori Skull and cross bones pendant/ brooch is Victorian, Circa 1880.
9k Gold, Rose Gold, Enamel
Georgian 18k Gold Blue Enamel Diamond Cluster Ring, Circa 1790s
Located in Firenze, IT
The oval blue enamel plaque with applied old brilliant, single and rose-cut diamond floral and foliate decoration, closed back settings throughout, with engraved bright-cut decoratio...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Enamel, Silver, Yellow Gold
$2,716Sale Price|20% Off
H 0.95 in W 3.15 in D 2.37 in
Rare circa 1900 Sterling Silver Diamond and Enamel Powder Compact with Lipstick
Located in GB
Wimbledon Furniture We are delighted to offer For sale this stunning circa 1900 French or Italian Sterling silver Diamond & Enamel powder compact with lipstick A very good looking a...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Vintage 18K Gold Enamel Fish Pisces Zodiac Charm Pendant
Located in Rotterdam, NL
A vintage Italian gold fish charm pendant created with a blue enameled body. The fish is beautifully detailed and created with a great royal blue scaly skin. Designed in 18 karat yel...
18k Gold, Enamel
Rare Chanel Vintage S/S 1989 Grecian Goddess Ivory Gold Pleated Gown
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel
Located in Jersey City, NJ
An ethereal and rare Chanel creation from the Spring/Summer 1989 collection, designed under Karl Lagerfeld’s direction. This gown embodies timeless elegance, drawing inspiration from...
Victorian Diamond Ruby 14 Karat Gold Chimera Stickpin
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Designed as a creature with a demon face, bat wings, and serpent body Clutching a claw set old European cut diamond, eye-clean and white Accented by rose cut ruby eyes Tested as 1...
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Iconic Archival Alexander McQueen SS 2012 Laser Cut Silk Lace Dress
By Alexander McQueen
Located in Berlin, BE
Absolutely iconic Alexander McQueen SS 2012 Laser Cut Spine Lace Dress. Exuding an enigmatic allure that's both cutting-edge and timeless, the Laser Cut Black Leather Lace Dress fro...
$12,000
W 0.99 in D 0.75 in L 2.09 in
1676 Friedrich von Arenstorff Intaglio Fob wax Seal Rock Crystal Silver
Located in SE
Unique 17th century fob pendant in silver mount with 3 seals carved in solid rock crystal,in original wood and leather case box that used to belong to Friedrich von Arensdorff (1626–...
Crystal, Rock Crystal, Silver
Georgian Diamond Brooch, circa 1770
Located in London, GB
Georgian diamond brooch/pendant. Centrally set with one cushion shape old mine diamond in a closed back cutdown setting with a weight of 1.10 carats, further highlighted by nine roun...
Diamond, Rose Gold, Silver
Antique Georgian Enamel Gold Memorial Ring Symbolizes Remember Me
Located in Stamford, CT
An 18th century ring of spectacular design in an elongated oval form displays a bow of white hair tied with gold thread placed under its crystal. The crystal frame is gold framed by ...
Crystal, 15k Gold, Enamel
Antique Victorian 15K Gold Forget Me Not Sardonyx Cameo Sliding Mourning Ring
Located in Staines-Upon-Thames, GB
An antique sardonyx, and gold ring, comprising one panel of carved sardonyx, set in 15 karat yellow gold, to a 15 karat gold band concealing hairwork. This unique ring is ever so b...
Agate, 15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Victorian 1840s 18K Gold Diamond, Pearl and Black Enamel Mourning Ring
Located in Staines-Upon-Thames, GB
An antique yellow gold, pearl, black enamel and diamond ring, comprising of one sparkling old mine cut diamond set in centre of a black enamelled panel, four larger pearls, two small...
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Sterling Skeleton with Hand Hammered Jewels in 20k and 22k Gold
By RIMA JEWELS
Located in New York, NY
RIMA JEWELS hand carved skeleton single earring in sterling silver is composed of 16 moving parts. Collect a serious addition to the memento mori tradition with this astonishing obje...
18k Gold, 22k Gold, Sterling Silver
Museum Quality Antique Georgian Black Enamel Pearl Memorial Ring
Located in London, GB
Georgian pearl and black enamel memorial ring. Set to centre with an oblong crystal slice covering plaited hair in a closed back setting, encircled by a row of ten half seed pearls w...
Pearl, Gold
Post Medieval memento mori ring, 'in god alone we too are one' circa 18th c
Located in London, GB
Post Medieval momento mori ring,'in god alone we too are one'. A rare ring, the exterior of the D-shape band intricately engraved with floral motifs, and a skull with eyes, nose and ...
Yellow Gold
Georgian Gold and Enamel Memorial Skeleton Ring, circa 1731
Located in London, GB
Georgian gold and enamel memorial skeleton ring. A solid D-shape gold band featuring an elongated skeleton with stylised skull and cross bones motif on a black enamel background, eng...
Yellow Gold
Art Nouveau Grasshopper Brooch
Located in London, GB
An Art Nouveau grasshopper brooch, the realistically carved insect with a cabochon ruby-set eye, the wings in shaded green opalescent champlevé enamel encrusted with rose-cut diamond...
Diamond, Opal, Ruby, Yellow Gold, Silver
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.
The care that went into crafting this jewel, with its lifelike carved petals and diamond accents, matches the sentiment it represents.
For starters, it is one of the jewelry designer’s most celebrated works.
Though it sparkles with more than 27 carats of diamonds, this multifaceted gem delivers more than just dazzle.
Stellene Volandes takes us on a glittering, engrossing tour through the centuries.
From cameos to cigar bands, here are the looks on our radar this season.
The philanthropist and heiress was an avid jewelry collector, and her trove of Jean Schlumberger creations embodies the love of nature she shared with the famed designer.