Trifari Brooch Modern
Vintage 1940s American Modern Brooches
Mixed Metal
Vintage 1980s Unknown Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Silver Plate
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Mixed Metal
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1940s American Modern Brooches
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1970s American Brooches
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Vintage 1970s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Collectible Jewelry
Metal
Vintage 1950s American Modern Anklets
Gold Plate, Base Metal, Brass, Gilt Metal
Vintage 1940s American Modern Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold, Vermeil, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Books
Paper
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21st Century and Contemporary American Art Nouveau Brooches
Emerald, Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s American Artisan Brooches
Gold Plate, Base Metal, Brass, Gilt Metal, Steel
Vintage 1960s American Native American Brooches
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Brooches
Gold Plate
2010s Thai Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Edwardian Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s French Brooches
Vintage 1950s French Modern Choker Necklaces
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s French Brooches
Mixed Metal
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Brooches
Enamel, Gilt Metal
20th Century Brooches
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Gold
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century British Modern Brooches
Base Metal, Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Brooches
Base Metal, Gold Plate
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
Gold Plate
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Gold Plate
Late 20th Century American Modern Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
1990s Unknown Modern Brooches
Base Metal, Enamel, Gilt Metal
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1970s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1940s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modernist Brooches
Vintage 1980s Unknown Modern Brooches
Vintage 1970s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1940s American Modern Brooches
Rhodium
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1980s Unknown Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1980s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Pearl, Gold-filled, Enamel
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Modern Brooches
Enamel
Vintage 1950s American Modern Brooches
Trifari Brooch Modern For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Trifari Brooch Modern?
Trifari for sale on 1stDibs
Costume jewelry maker Trifari is widely loved for its fine craftsmanship and complex designs for necklaces, brooches and other jewelry and accessories.
The company was formed in New York during the early 1920s, when its partners Gustavo Trifari (who descended from a family of jewelers), Leo Krussman and Carl Fishel (business associates in hair-ornament manufacturing) recognized, as other designers during the Art Deco era such as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel had, that fashion trends for affordable jewelry for everyday wear represented an opportunity (and that the popularity of shorter hairstyles didn’t bode well for their haircomb business).
Initially called Trifari, Krussman and Fishel Jewelry (T.K.F.), the trio eventually shortened their brand’s name, at the suggestion of an advertising professional, to Trifari in order to evoke the romance of Gustavo’s native Italy.
The hiring of French designer Alfred Philippe as head designer in 1930 was pivotal to Trifari’s success. A master craftsman who had worked with both Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, Philippe set about establishing the same high-quality standards of materials and craftsmanship in the design of fashion jewelry and trained other Trifari artisans to do the same. Settings were delicate; crystals were hand set; designs, which sometimes featured dazzling floral motifs or exquisite depictions of marine life, were sophisticated and elegant, having both the look and feel of fine jewelry. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower wore a Trifari parure of faux pearls to her husband’s presidential inauguration in 1953 and Trifari glass pearls to his inaugural ball in 1957.
Before retiring in 1968, Philippe created Trifari’s most recognizable designs. In the 1930s, when the company was custom-making accessories for the stars of Broadway musicals, it was the crown motif: These brooches became so often identified with the brand that a crown was eventually incorporated into the trademark. In the 1940s, the “Jelly Bellies” inspired affection as well as knockoffs; these were animals, birds and insects sporting a “belly” of clear Lucite. Clip-Mates were another favorite and a technical marvel — two dress clips that, joined together, created a brooch.
Find a wide range of vintage Trifari jewelry on 1stDibs.
A Close Look at modern Jewelry
Rooted in centuries of history of adornment dating back to the ancient world, modern jewelry reimagines traditional techniques, forms and materials for expressive new pieces. As opposed to contemporary jewelry, which responds to the moment in which it was created, modern jewelry often describes designs from the 20th to 21st centuries that reflect movements and trends in visual culture.
Modern jewelry emerged from the 19th-century shift away from jewelry indicating rank or social status. The Industrial Revolution allowed machine-made jewelry using electric gold plating, metal alloys and imitation stones, making beautiful jewelry widely accessible. Although mass production deemphasized the materials of the jewelry, the vision of the designer remained important, something that would be furthered in the 1960s with what’s known as the “critique of preciousness.”
A design fair called the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes” brought global attention to the Art Deco style in 1925 and gathered a mix of jewelry artists alongside master jewelers like Van Cleef & Arpels, Mauboussin and Boucheron. Art Deco designs from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels unconventionally mixed gemstones like placing rock crystals next to diamonds while borrowing motifs from eclectic sources including Asian lacquer and Persian carpets. Among Cartier’s foremost design preoccupations at the time were high-contrast color combinations and crisp, geometric forms and patterns. In the early 20th century, modernist jewelers like Margaret De Patta and artists such as Alexander Calder — who is better known for his kinetic sculptures than his provocative jewelry — explored sculptural metalwork in which geometric shapes and lines were preferred over elaborate ornamentation.
Many of the innovations in modern jewelry were propelled by women designers such as Wendy Ramshaw, who used paper to craft her accessories in the 1960s. During the 1970s, Elsa Peretti created day-to-night pieces for Tiffany & Co. while designers like Lea Stein experimented with layering plastic, a material that had been employed in jewelry since the mid-19th century and had expanded into Bakelite, acrylics and other unique materials.
Find a collection of modern watches, bracelets, engagement rings, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right brooches for You
Antique and vintage brooches, which are decorative jewels traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.
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.
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 on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.