Brooches

  • Lizard

    Many cultures see the lizard as symbolic. The Bantu believe if you dream of a lizard it is the foretelling of the birth of a male child. The Ancient Egyptians used a lizard in their hieroglyphics to depict ‘plentiful’. In a Cameroon myth the lizard told mankind there is no life after death. In Christianity…

  • Abstract Square

    I was first introduced to Gail Klevan’s jewellery at the Dazzle exhibition.  This brooch is typical of her work – bright vibrant designs on acrylic. Gail Klevan hails originally from Manchester but studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at the Royal College of Art in London where she won the Bakri Yehia prize for Excellence. Not to…

  • Christmas Reindeer

    This is a modern brooch probably made in the Far East.  Even so, it is well made; the enamel has been carefully done and there are a few paste accents giving some  detail. Rudolph is famous for having a glowing red nose and often referred to as Santa Claus’s 9th Reindeer.  He first appeared in…

  • Silver Fireworks

    This brooch, which is from the 1920s, looks almost exactly the same as a 1966 Trifari brooch which was part of the Starlights Fireworks collection. 1966 Trifari advert showing the Starlights Fireworks collection So was this where the designers at Trifari found their inspiration?  Makes you wonder.  But then again, this classic star design was…

  • Bakelite Pear

    Between 1907 and 1909 Dr Leo H. Baekeland was conducting experiments and he accidentally discovered Bakelite. During the 1920s and 1930s it was widely used by costume jewellery manufacturers as it was cheap, could be dyed, easily carved and incorporated with other materials like chrome. You can find bangles, earrings, cufflinks, necklaces and, of course,…

  • Hydrangea

    Michael Michaud is an American jewellery designer. His jewellery is made by creating moulds directly from botanical specimens in a process similar to lost-wax casting. Michael uses real leaves, branches or flowers in place of wax models. A mould is created around the botanical specimen and as it is heated the plant matter burns away…

  • Five Layers

    I first met Clara Breen at Dazzle, a Jewellery show held annually at the National Theatre London. I couldn’t have been happier, two of my favourite pastimes rolled into one evening. I can’t remember which play we went to see but I liked the brooch so much I went back and bought the matching earrings….

  • Champagne Bottle

    This brooch is large and is convex to represent the shape of the bottle. And as is often the case with brooches from the 1930s, there is no indication of who the designer or maker is. It was bought from an American online site and I’m guessing that this is its country of origin. I…