Brooches

  • Circle with Holes

    This brooch is made of 14ct gold by the Finnish designer Liisa Vitali. Liisa Vitali was born on 9th November 1918 in Helsinki.  The family moved to a farm in the small village of Viluksela in southern Finland when Liisa was two. Following the death of their parents Liisa and her brother Väinö continued to…

  • Beetle

    This unusual beetle brooch is by one of the doyens of costume jewellery design – Hattie Carnegie.  I have a number of Hattie Carnegie brooches in my collection, their quirkiness and originality appeal to me.  This beetle is from the 1940s and I bought it from my friend Jacqueline Rehmann author of ‘Classic American Costume…

  • Medieval Heart

    Now before we go any further, this month’s brooch is not Medieval.  However fabulous it would be to have a genuine 15th century piece of jewellery in my collection I’m afraid my budget does not stretch that far.  My brooch is a copy of a brooch from the Fishpool Hoard and was given to me…

  • Zulu Shield

    This brooch is made of gold and oxidised silver and in the form of a Zulu shield.  The design was registered by M J Goldsmid of Birmingham on 4th September 1883.  The British Museum has a Zulu shield brooch in its collection by the London jeweller John Brogden c1880.   In ‘Jewellery in the Age of…

  • Robin

    This cute little robin is by the designer/creator Melanie Tomlinson. Melanie is from Birmingham and trained at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.  To create her detailed designs Melanie starts by painting the image in gouache, this acts as the master for the printing process.  The design is then hand printed onto metal and…

  • Firework

    Ten years ago, I posted a brooch by Sphinx which I called ‘Glitz & Sparkle’.  At the time it was the nearest brooch I had to a firework.  I mentioned in the post I needed to look for a ‘proper’ firework brooch.  Finally, after many years searching I have found one.  This month’s brooch to…

  • Stone with Two Leaves

    This brooch is by Kramer.  It is made of gilt metal, caste as two finely defined leaves with a large piece of moss agate at its centre.  The company was started in 1943 by Louis Kramer in New York.  Once WWII was over Louis was joined by his two brothers Morris and Harry.  Christian Dior’s…

  • London Taxi

    This cute little brooch of a London Taxi is by Atwood and Sawyer, one of the few UK based vintage jewellery companies.  Atwood and Sawyer was founded by Horas Atwood (Mr Sauer was a silent partner) in Wales in 1956, at that time most costume jewellery was made by American firms; Trifari, Coro, Eisenburg etc. …

  • USSR Building

    This brooch is made of glass (the red background) with an overlay of chrome.  On the back there is a rather poor-quality pin, reminiscent of a safety pin.  The brooch was probably made as a souvenir from the Paris Expo in 1937. The Paris Expo was held between 25th May to 25th November 1937, just…

  • Pencil Case

    I have known Jo McAllister for a number of years, we first met at the Designers Jewellery Group exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London, where I bought a brooch from her ‘Sketchbook Series’ which was featured as a Brooch of the Month in May 2015.  I first spotted the ‘Pencil Case’ at the Goldsmiths’…