Confused by Brooches!

[meredeth11]

Found the phenomenon that there are so many elegant and exquisite brooches listed in counters of almost all jewelry shops, but didn't see much people wearing them in trivial daily lives, this aroused much confusion deep down my heart … Several days ago I made a rose brooch and submitted the accessories making progress to Pandahall.com to gain 30$ as a rewards (though I know this is not pretty at all)!!However, several confusion still haunted deep down my heart - Is there anyone know in which occasions brooches are needed? Is there any cultural connotation, stories or principles existed to wear a brooch? Will it be weird to wear it when dressed with leisure clothes in daily life?

 

[JewelFreak]

Different types of jewelry, like other fashion, goes in & out of style. Brooches haven't been the "in" thing for some time but probably will come back eventually. I hope that answers your question.

I love the rose on your brooch!

 

[AGBF]

Hi, meredeth-

Laurie is right. Brooches (also known, less formally, simply as "pins") are not very much in fashion today. Nonetheless, among royalty they are still worn regularly. If you want to see some lovely brooches, keep your eye on the Royal Jewels thread. Queen Elizabeth II of England and The Duchess of Cornwall are among the women whom you can see photographed in large brooches there (if I recall correctly).

I think it is lovely that you make your own jewelry. One of the participants in the Royal Jewels thread, Lady Maria, makes tiaras for herself and wears them on all important occasions. She is a teacher and often wears them in her classroom. I have to say that I think they are beautiful!

I would love to see you in the Royal Jewels thread if it holds any interest for you. You could see some lovely brooches there and Laurie (JewelFreak) and I both spend time here.

Hugs,
Deb/AGBF

 

[movie zombie]

i have one that i wear on a vest. it never leaves the vest unless i'm cleaning said vest. the brooch never fails to get comments.
i also at one point in my life wore them on hats, especially the beret type.
admittedly, i'm one of few that did and does so.

i have a collection of small [very small] stones and one day hope to have them set into a brooch of one kind or another....but i will have a bail added so it can also be worn as a pendant.

here in the US i think those of us that wear a brooch/pin are an oddity and definitely march to a different drummer as the saying goes.

 

[pixgirl]

Even though they are not so much in fashion these days I love brooches (pins where I love) and wear them often. If you like them, wear them.

 

[pregcurious]

Lately, I only see brooches worn on scarves, or on the shoulder or lapel of jackets for women. In general, they're not really in fashion now, but you should wear them if you like them.

 

[AGBF]

Everyone keeps saying that no one wears brooches now, but as I have said, royals wear them all the time! Here are a few photos of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge wearing brooches! The Queen wears them all the time.

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge wearing a daffodil brooch.

 

[chrono]

I love brooches but people in the US will give me a funny look if I wear it. I usually wear it on a formal jacket lapel or scarf.

 

[AGBF]

I happened to be looking up some other jewels and I came upon this page. It shows some of Queen Elizabeth II's many brooches. The selection shown is based purely on what she wore during a certain visit (from what I gather), but I instantly thought of this thread and thought I'd post the link here. The website at which this page can be found no doubt has photos of many of the queen's other brooches as well!

Queen Elizabeth Brooches...http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

Sorry, forgot to add this attachmet- Art Deco Jabot Brooch.

BelleJoaillerie-

I really like the red and green brooch from the estate jewelry site that you posted here. I didn't mention it in the thread on crosses, but I also appreciated the crosses from the estate sites you posted in that thread. I think you have a real eye for beauty!

Hugs,
Deb/AGBF

 

[Smith1942]

This is a very timely thread because I bought a brooch yesterday. It's actually the second brooch I've bought in a year. I'm trying to bring brooches back. On the right outfit, I think they can be beautiful.

I posted a thread about my first brooch, which is a solid gold rose with diamonds on the leaves. It's so, so beautiful. Here's the link: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solid-gold-rose-brooch-with-diamond-leaves.186620/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/solid-gold-rose-brooch-with-diamond-leaves.186620/[/URL]

Yesterday I bought another brooch from the same jeweller that I'd had my eye on for months. It's a gold filigree dragonfly with a line of pearls down the body, diamond-tipped wings and sapphire eyes. I'm going to post it in the middle of next week when I have the time to do it.

I'm British and only moved to the States at age 32, so I'm much more comfortable with the idea of brooches. When I was growing up people really did wear them. We had a lot of inexpensive ones from the likes of Avon. I had a red enamel rose brooch, and a plastic daisy brooch that opened to reveal a solid block of perfume inside! Both my grandmothers and my mother have also always worn brooches.

I agree that they have fallen out of fashion in recent years, and also that if you're not careful they can look a bit grannyish. I make sure to wear mine with a sharp close-fitting outfit. I wouldn't wear them with anything floaty and floral.

I don't know if Kate Middleton really likes brooches or not - she has never worn one on the occasions she's been photographed out and about in her daily/private life, and the brooches she wears in the photos above are symbolic. She would have been told to wear them for specific work events in her official role as consort to the future King. The maple leaf is obvious, for her Canada tour (it's the queen's), the gold shamrock was something to do with the military regiment she was visiting, and the same with the gold wings brooch on the red dress. The daffodil was for Easter I think. The poppy brooches were for the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when Armistice Day is celebrated in Britain and it's very bad taste not to wear a poppy. All the royals and the newsreaders do so for Armistice, when the Queen lays a wreath at the Cenotaph and most of the public wears a poppy.

But I can't imagine that it's the sort of thing she'd wear by choice. I don't think that the vintage look is really her thing.

E.B. Horn in Boston has the most stunning display of diamond brooches imaginable. Great sprays of flowers, princess, baguette diamonds, all sizes and cuts. Simply dreamy.

I definitely think brooches should be brought back, and I'm doing my part! They can be a stunning jewellery item and it's a pity they fell out of fashion.

I hanker after these two Tiffany brooches: Silver starfish http://www.tiffany.com/shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=10659264&mcat=&cid=&search_params=s+1-p+4-c+-r+101287461-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+&search=1

And platinum diamond dragonfly with sapphire eyes. I actually don't think this is a bad price for such a piece from Tiffany:
http://www.tiffany.com/shopping/Item.aspx?fromGrid=1&sku=13249687&mcat=&cid=&search_params=s+1-p+3-c+-r+101287461-x+-n+6-ri+-ni+0-t+&search=1

 

[Kelly12]

The brooch u made is really beautiful!!! I like it very much!! Thank u for your sharing! Actually u can absolutely wear brooches in daily life if u like!!! u have submitted the accessories making progress to Pandahall.com ? I will go to pandahall to see it. Thank u for sharing!!!

 

[styringca]

Most brooches' design are matched only with formal outfits like the meeting,interview, wedding, but some can also be special for the casual waering.

 

[MrsAkin]

Smith1942, I love your gold brooch, it's very feminine. Congratulations on your great find!

I personally think brooches can really make an outfit. It's true that they're not as popular as they used to be but people do not care about their outfits as much as the old days. Jeans and t-shirts are not compatible with these lovely, dainty accessories.( don't even get me started on sweat pants!) I sometimes use brooches on the neck part of my headscarves. When I'm strolling through Grand Bazaar I see brooches in antique shops and they evoke feelings of sophistication in me just by looking.

 

[meredeth11]

Different types of jewelry, like other fashion, goes in & out of style. Brooches haven't been the "in" thing for some time but probably will come back eventually. I hope that answers your question.

I love the rose on your brooch!

Thank you, I'm glad that you like it.

 

[kgizo]

I too like brooches. I've worn them dressed up for a wedding, or with jeans, a white T and a cardigan. I like to wear layers and a brooch makes my cardigans and jeans look much more fashionable. I attached a pic of my nicest one, tanzanites, tsavs and diamonds in white gold.
I also have a few rhinestone brooches that I wear on blazers. On Say Yes to the Dress TV show they often put big rhinestone brooches in an updo. I've thought about getting small rhinestone brooches to attach to a pony tail (that's as fancy as my hair gets). I'm not sure if it would look sleek or might go a little young (I'm in my 40s).

 

[BettyJewel]

I wear brooches for special occasions. I would love to see some examples of brooches worn with casual clothes if someone would like to share.

Here is my current favorite. Vintage gold with pearls.

 

[AGBF]

I have to confess that I really cannot warm up to the idea of wearing a brooch (pin). I did wear them as a little girl, when they were more in fashion. To challenge myself, I think I may look for some brooches that I would actually like to own and wear. It seems like a worthy endeavor in which to engage on Jewelry Pieces. I am going to limit myself to precious metals and semi-precious and precious gems. I guess I can't believe that somewhere out there there isn't at least one pin that I would covet...and actually wear...given my love of jewelry!

Does anyone else want to take the challenge (anyone who usually refuses to wear a pin)?

Deb/AGBF

 

[Smith1942]

Kgizo and Betty - your brooches are both to die for!! They are stunning! How often do you wear them? Where did you get them?

Deb - if you don't like brooches, don't wear them! Seems a waste of money to get something you can't warm up to, you know? Or, if you're determined, you could buy an inexpensive rhinestone one - I have a really nice one like that in the shape of a sunburst from Talbots - and see if you wear it much.

I have just come back from the jewellery quarter of my home town in the UK where I saw an amazing brooch. It was 840 pounds and I had already bought a diamond and aquamarine necklace, a pair of double opal drops and had a Cartier Trinity held for me at the airport, so I couldn't buy the brooch. But it was oblong-shaped, made of platinum, with a filigree design outlined in lots of tiny diamonds, culminating in a central sapphire. The sapphire was the most delicious shade of mid-blue. The brooch was quite large, about 2.5 inches by 1.5, and the only thing I didn't like is that it felt very very light - much less weighty than I would have thought for such a piece in platinum.

Anyway. Let us know how your brooch journey goes!

 

[BettyJewel]

Kgizo and Betty - your brooches are both to die for!! They are stunning! How often do you wear them? Where did you get them?

Thank you. The brooch was a gift from my mother in law when I gave birth to our first child. It was a gift to her from her father. When we had our second child last year she gifted me another piece from her jewelry collection also. Sadly we are done with two kids. I of course could keep going but my husband is not very sympathetic of my need for more family jewels.

 

[meredeth11]

Hi, meredeth-

Laurie is right. Brooches (also known, less formally, simply as "pins") are not very much in fashion today. Nonetheless, among royalty they are still worn regularly. If you want to see some lovely brooches, keep your eye on the Royal Jewels thread. Queen Elizabeth II of England and The Duchess of Cornwall are among the women whom you can see photographed in large brooches there (if I recall correctly).

I think it is lovely that you make your own jewelry. One of the participants in the Royal Jewels thread, Lady Maria, makes tiaras for herself and wears them on all important occasions. She is a teacher and often wears them in her classroom. I have to say that I think they are beautiful!

I would love to see you in the Royal Jewels thread if it holds any interest for you. You could see some lovely brooches there and Laurie (JewelFreak) and I both spend time here.

Hugs,
Deb/AGBF

Thx, AGBF. You said makes sense, and the pictures you shared with us are beautiful too.

 

[VRBeauty]

I have a number of brooches - though none of them have either precious or semi-precious stones in them. Most of them date back to the 80's but I think some have stood the test of time, style-wise. Still, I rarely wear them as I rarely wear suits or jackets anymore, and not much of my clothing is structured enough to support anything but the lightest of pins. I probably wear my pins most often in the winter, dressing up my sweaters... and I do have a handful of holiday pins (mostly nice, with a few blatantly tacky ones thrown in for good measure) to wear in December.

I suspect that today's clothing construction and style has a lot to do with whether we wear brooches or not. Modern manufacturers tend to use softer fabrics that drape more easily and don't require fussy darts etc. for a reasonable fit - these fabrics don't support pins as well as a denser fabric. Few shirts or dresses are made with the facings that would help support a brooch.

kgizo and BettyJewel - those are both lovely brooches!

 

[AmandaK]

These brooches are beautiful. But I often wear bracelets and pendants, and I only take brooch in few occasions. But I have a friend who wears brooch in her daily life. So I think it depends on personal preference.

 

[kgizo]

Smith1942 and VRBeauty, thanks. I got it at an estate jewelry store. And I like tacky holiday pins, too! There could be another thread on that.

Betty, I love yours. The gold is such a warm color. I did a quick Pinterest search for casual outfits and brooches and thought this pic was cute. I wouldn't have thought to try a brooch with a leopard print scarf. I have a bunch of fabric purses and have put a brooch on a purse before. Maybe that's something you could do to wear yours more casually.

A few years back I checked out a Tiffany art history book from my lib. Gorgeous pics of the orchid series, Jean Schlumberger and many other brooches. The orchid brooches and a lily of the valley brooch were my favorites. I wish I could remember the name of the book.

 

[AGBF]

Although I seem to have misplaced all my Georg Jensen jewelry and accessories, I am sure that I put them somewhere "safe". I am attaching a link to a thread about how I acquired them in case anyone is interested. I "inherited" them from my late mother, who gave them to me while she was still alive. She bought them in New York City during World War II when communication between Georg Jensen USA and Denmark was impossible.

Georg Jensen Thread...[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/georg-jensen-jewelry.25634/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/georg-jensen-jewelry.25634/[/URL]

There are two brooches among the loot I inherited. I polished one of them, which I really shouldn't have...but I am sure that in time it will tarnish again! Maybe even before I find it!

Deb/AGBF

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