Brooches

Brooch of the Month

The Brooch

Straw Hat

The Designer

The Period

This brooch is small and made of gold. The flowers and ribbon decoration are enamel. I don’t know where the brooch was made but I think it’s almost certainly continental. I have seen a similar type of work where gold is twisted to give the impression of basket work in Italy. That was a gondolier’s boater and the decorations were diamonds and sapphires. A few years ago I attended a lecture at the V&A about hats. It was fascinating, the lecturer was an expert in straw. I discovered Luton was the centre of the straw hat industry in England. They have a Hat Industry and Headwear Collection with over 700 examples some dating back to 1700.