Brooches are the perfect accessory to add a touch of elegance to your outfit. From pinning your vintage dress to the centre of a sweeping neckline to adorning your hat or hairstyle.
Browse our selection of antique and period brooches with gemstones, diamonds and enamel detailing. Our collection includes Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco era designs.
Enamel
Enamel is a versatile material that can be used in a variety of ways. It can add a splash of colour to your jewellery collection or bring a rustic feel to your home.
The Victorian era was characterised by different brooch styles. Locket brooches and ones with flowers, animals and cameos were popular during this time. Mourning brooches were also in style and featured somber materials such as black onyx and jet. This piece of Victorian jewellery features a ‘C’ clasp.
En tremblant
En tremblant is a technique that was used in the 18th and 19th centuries to make jewellery move slightly in accordance with the wearer. This effect was created by mounting parts of a brooch on a ‘trembler’, usually a stiff wire spring. This technique added movement and sparkle to the brooch and was particularly effective when mounted on wings, flowers or other delicate motifs.
Whether you are looking for a pretty Edwardian stick pin or an antique statement piece, our collection of vintage and antique brooches uk has something to suit all tastes. Carefully curated by sixth generation family jewellers Pragnell, our range features Georgian diamond set cross pieces alongside Victorian depictions of flora and fauna, and exemplars of geometric Art Deco.
Aigrette
The aigrette was a popular ornament for hats and women’s hair, reaching its height of popularity in the late 19th Century. It is a decorative ornament of upright feathers often jewel encrusted or mounted en tremblant.
From elegant Georgian cross brooches to Victorian flora and fauna motifs and exemplars of geometric Art Deco, our collection includes an array of pretty designs. Carefully curated by a sixth generation family jeweller, you will find stunning brooches that are perfect for adding elegance and glamour to any outfit.
Celtic
In culinary circles, Celtic salt is a natural seasoning prized for its unique mineral profile. Chefs and home cooks alike appreciate this mineral-rich condiment for its ability to elevate and balance flavors.
Penannular brooches are the most distinctive form of high-quality secular metalwork from Early Medieval Celts (or Insular art, as scholars prefer to call it). The highly ornate Irish types such as the Tara brooch were pinned in many pieces which slotted into each other — like the “trays” on the 10th century Danish Mollerlokken brooch.
Viking
Around 911 the Vikings began to settle in areas of England like Cumbria and the Ribble valley in Lancashire. The name of Liverpool may even stem from this time as it is derived from the old Norse word ‘Livig’ meaning muddy creek.
Regular raids would occur with the sacking of monasteries which were targeted for their precious items including gold and silver. Eventually Alfred the Great and Guthrum the Old came to a peace agreement. This paved the way for Viking laws and customs to take hold in an area that became known as Danelaw.
Art Nouveau
The designers of Art Nouveau sought to revive good workmanship, raise the status of craft and produce genuinely modern design. This was a response to the growing industrialization of production and the dominance of historical styles.
They were often inspired by natural forms like the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. The movement also benefited from the new chromolithographic techniques and the penchant for Japanese wood-block prints that spread among European artists.
The style was most conspicuous at five international expositions during its heyday. These included the 1889 and 1900 Expositions Universelles in Paris, the 1897 Tervueren Exhibition in Brussels, and the 1902 Turin International Exhibition of Decorative Arts.
Edwardian
Brooches can be pinned to dresses and hats for a touch of elegance. Alternatively, they can be used to secure a necktie or head scarf, adding a hint of tradition and heritage.
After the gilded Victorian era and before the horrors of World War I, the Edwardian era was a time of swagger and self-belief. But it was also a time of conflict – both large and small.
Art Deco
Art Deco, also known as the Style Moderne, is a visual style that took hold after World War I. Its streamlined aesthetic incorporated beauty into functional objects like clocks, cars and ocean liners.
Unlike its predecessor, Art Nouveau, which drew inspiration from nature’s organic shapes, Deco embraced sleek geometry. It also favored opulent materials like platinum and ebony.
Artists such as Tamara de Lempicka and Sonia Delaunay popularized this elegant style. Their bold, impactful painting style uses clear and crisp lines to delineate colours.
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