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.
Doubloon
Silver Greyhound Brooch
£ 65
Doubloon
Amethyst & Pearl Brooch
£ 145
FB Antiques
Antique Platinum Aquamarine & Diamond Brooch
£ 3,950
£ 13,950
Lefays Fine Arts
Carnelian Hardstone Cameo 18ct Gold Brooch of Classical Lady
£ 895
£ 1,095
Celtic Heritage
Sterling Silver Scottish Themed Sgian Dubh Brooch - Antique
£ 30
£ 345
Celtic Heritage
Vintage Silver Ornate Penannular Brooch with Gemstones
£ 45
£ 95
World War 1 9ct Gold & Tortoiseshell Sweetheart Brooch - Norfolk Regiment - 1916
£ 95
Century Antiques
£ 89
Antique Latvian Solid Silver Sakta Brooch with Butterscotch Amber Stone c.1950
£ 89
Artsubject
Celtic Heritage
Scottish Ornate Brooch Silver Purple Stone - Hallmarked 1955
£ 55
£ 3,950
£ 40
£ 3,950
£ 40
Antique Scottish Circular Plaid Brooch, Banded Agate, Inner & Outer Silver Rim
£ 40
Celtic Heritage
Lefays Fine Arts
Carnelian Cameo 18ct Brooch / Pendant of Classical Lady
£ 1,475
£ 35
Celtic Heritage
Early 20th Century Scottish Agate Brooch - Highlands Style
£ 35
Celtic Heritage
Norwegian Silver Brooch Viking Ship - Nils Eric Elvik
£ 45
Doubloon
Victorian Cameo Brooch
£ 115
£ 210
Celtic Heritage
Late 19th Century / Early 20th Century Silver Amethyst Citrine Brooch - Light + Delicate
£ 50
Late 19th Century / Early 20th Century Silver Amethyst Citrine Brooch - Light + Delicate
£ 50
Celtic Heritage
£ 45
Celtic Heritage
Scottish Antique Silver & Amethyst Plaid Kilt Brooch 1913
£ 55
Celtic Heritage
Scottish Brooch Sterling Silver, Moss Agate - Thomas Ebbutt
£ 45
Celtic Heritage
Ola Marie Gorie, 9ct Gold Sjusta Brooch
£ 460
£ 560
Lefays Fine Arts
Large 19th Century Shell Cameo Brooch of Medusa
£ 795
£ 1,995
£ 1,450
£ 1,200
Citrine & Pearl 14ct Gold Heart Coronet Crown Brooch / Pendant Necklace
£ 1,200
Artisan Antiques
Artisan Antiques
Antique Victorian Turquoise Pendant Necklace / Brooch 18ct Gold Etruscan Revival Design c.1880
£ 3,500
Antique Victorian Turquoise Pendant Necklace / Brooch 18ct Gold Etruscan Revival Design c.1880
£ 3,500
Artisan Antiques
Artisan Antiques
Antique Victorian Diamond and Ruby 15ct Gold Cockerel/Rooster/Chicken Brooch Pin - c.1890
£ 850
Antique Victorian Diamond and Ruby 15ct Gold Cockerel/Rooster/Chicken Brooch Pin - c.1890
£ 850
Artisan Antiques
£ 1,395
Andrew Cox Antiques
Attractive Late Victorian Silver Brooch
£ 75
£ 220
Celtic Heritage
Malcolm Gray Sterling Silver Cross Vintage Ortak
£ 40
£ 35
Sally White Vintage
Antique Victorian 9ct Gold Swallow Cloak Clasp Brooch
£ 245
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.