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.
Verdis Collection
Antique Gold Cameo Brooch
£ 285
Antiques in Oxford
Antique Insect Brooch Set with Bohemian Garnets
£ 265
Aion Jewellery
Vintage Norwegian Silver Gilt & Enamel Brooch
£ 135
Aion Jewellery
Victorian Silver & Turquoise Brooch
£ 110
Aion Jewellery
15ct Gold Boxed Victorian Hunting Theme Stick Pin
£ 155
£ 185
Highland Antiques Limited
Early Victorian Scottish Provincial Antique Silver & Agate Brooch - Inverness c.1840
£ 1,895
Early Victorian Scottish Provincial Antique Silver & Agate Brooch - Inverness c.1840
£ 1,895
Highland Antiques Limited
Aion Jewellery
Danish Skonvirke Arts & Crafts Silver & Carnelian Brooch
£ 125
Aion Jewellery
German Silver & Turquoise Brooch
£ 68
Matthew Coles Antiques
Large Antique Cameo Brooch with Gold Frame
£ 375
The Chelsea Bijouterie
Victorian Portrait Miniature Brooch with Natural Pearls & Hair Locket in 15ct Gold
£ 840
Victorian Portrait Miniature Brooch with Natural Pearls & Hair Locket in 15ct Gold
£ 840
The Chelsea Bijouterie
Aion Jewellery
French Arts & Crafts Silver, Gold & Lapis Lazuli Brooch
£ 145
Matthew Coles Antiques
Victorian 15ct Gold Stick Pin
£ 285
£ 6,950
Aion Jewellery
Victorian Silver & Moonstone Flower Brooch
£ 85
Aion Jewellery
Edwardian Silver & Multi Coloured Enamel Pansy Brooch
£ 185
Aion Jewellery
Charles Horner Chester Silver Thistle Brooch
£ 95
Nates Gems
Antique 15ct Rose Gold Hardstone Machiavelli Cameo Stock Pin Brooch Tie, Lapel, Cravat Etc
£ 575
Antique 15ct Rose Gold Hardstone Machiavelli Cameo Stock Pin Brooch Tie, Lapel, Cravat Etc
£ 575
Nates Gems
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Norwegian Silver Enamel Stickpin
£ 140
Matthew Coles Antiques
Stunning 9ct Flower Brooch
£ 850
Aion Jewellery
Unusual Art Deco Celluloid Hunting Brooch
£ 55
Aion Jewellery
Georg Jensen Silver Twin Dolphin Brooch
£ 175
Aion Jewellery
Vintage Ward Brothers Hallmarked Silver Leaf Brooch.
£ 75
£ 425
£ 275
Underwoodhall
Victorian Diamond & Seed Pearl Stick Pin
£ 210
Underwoodhall
Victorian Amethyst & Seed Pearl Cluster Stick Pin
£ 145
£ 3,950
Matthew Coles Antiques
Victorian 9ct Mourning Brooch
£ 475
Andrew Cox Antiques
Gorgeous French Silver & Gold Brooch
£ 175
Aion Jewellery
French Art Nouveau Silver & Amber Brooch
£ 95
Aion Jewellery
Edwardian Novelty Silver Golf Club Hat Pin
£ 89
Aion Jewellery
Charles & Gladys Mumford Silver Swirl Brooch & Earrings
£ 125
Aion Jewellery
Arts & Crafts Hallmarked Chester Silver Brooch Initial P
£ 85
£ 1,995
£ 250
£ 3,950
Aion Jewellery
Victorian 18ct Gold, Turquoise & Seed Pearl Brooch
£ 355
Aion Jewellery
Ward Brothers Silver & Amber Paste Thistle Brooch
£ 85
£ 245
Antique & Rare Vintage Brooches FAQs
When were brooches invented?
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.
How do I know if my brooch is vintage?
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.
Are vintage brooches worth anything?
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.
