Victorian Paste Buckle Brooch
Located in New York, NY
Lovely Victorian Paste Buckle Brooch from the late 19th Century.
Antique 1880s American Late Victorian Brooches
Vermeil, Silver
Victorian Paste Buckle Brooch
Located in New York, NY
Lovely Victorian Paste Buckle Brooch from the late 19th Century.
Vermeil, Silver
Antique Monkey Brooch Pendant Paste Stones Victorian Silver
Located in Mārupe, LV
Antique Victorian Driving Monkeys Paste Stone Brooch – 19th Century Silver Bicycle Brooch This antique Victorian brooch features a charming scene of monkeys driving a bicycle, craf...
Silver
Antique 9ct Gold & Silver, Victorian Paste Set Monkey Brooch
Located in Brighton, GB
Antique Monkey Brooch 9ct Gold & Silver Circa 1880 A wonderfully playful and eye-catching Victorian monkey brooch, crafted in a charming combination of 9ct gold and silver.
Gold, 9k Gold, Silver
Victorian Paste Cabochon Foil and 15K Yellow Gold Brooch
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine and impressive antique Victorian paste and 15 karat yellow gold brooch; part of our antique jewelry and estate jewelry collections.
15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Victorian Paste Butterfly
Located in New York, NY
Lovely sterling butterfly brooch done in the Victorian era of clear and colored pastes.
Sterling Silver
Victorian 18 Karat Gold Red Paste Snake Stick Pin Brooch
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
This is a Victorian snake stick pin brooch. It is crafted in 18K gold.
Gold
Vintage Victorian Gold Plated, Black Enamel, & Glass Paste Floral Brooch / Pin
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine antique Victorian floral brooch. In a gold plated (or gold filled) setting.
Gold Plate, Enamel
Victorian Paste Set Monkey
Located in New York, NY
Charming paste set monkey dangling from a bar. Completely set in sterling with handmounted pastes circa 1880s. Unusual novelty piece from the Victorian era.
Excellent condition.
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian 19k Yellow Gold & Silver Onyx and Red Paste Brooch
Located in New York, NY
This antique brooch is crafted in rich 19k yellow gold with silver detailing and features a striking combination of paste stones and onyx. The contrast between the deep black onyx an...
Onyx, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique Victorian Scottish Agate, Jasper, Paste Sterling Silver Dirk Kilt Brooch
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine Scottish market kilt brooch in the form of a Dirk. In (English) sterling silver. Set with agate, jasper, a round citrine, and paste stones. Hallmarked to the reverse for J...
Agate, Jasper, Citrine, Sterling Silver
$448Sale Price|20% Off
Victorian Mother-of-Pearl and Paste Gold-Tone Horn Brooch, circa 1890
Located in Honolulu, HI
This Victorian-era novelty brooch, circa 1890, is masterfully carved from a single piece of luminous mother-of-pearl in the protective "Corno" or Italian horn silhouette.
Base Metal, Brass, Gilt Metal
Sterling Paste Victorian Playful Monkeys
Located in New York, NY
Charming paste on sterling playful monkeys from the late 19th Century. One with green eyes is perched on a bar while the other (ruby eyes)can be placed in any position.
Excell...
Sterling Silver
Victorian 18 Karat Gold Rose Cut Diamond Red Paste Horseshoe Stick Pin Brooch
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
This is a Victorian horseshoe stick pin brooch. It is crafted in 18K gold.
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
Massive 19th Century Paste Sword Jabot Brooch
Located in New York, NY
Massive and exceptional 19th Century Paste Sword Jabot Brooch from the l9th Century. Designed likely for a heavy cloak or cape set in sterling with pastes and faux pearls. Gold Verm...
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Antique North Star brooch, sterling silver and paste
Located in NEWARK, GB
A gorgeous antique paste star brooch. A beautiful piece crafted in sterling silver with an aged patina, it depicts the North Star, loved by the Victorians for it's symbolism of hope...
Sterling Silver
Antique Austro-Hungarian Gold Brooch with Paste Stone Seed Pearls, Ca. 1866-1872
Located in Rotterdam, NL
This elegant oval brooch is a beautiful example of Austro-Hungarian craftsmanship from the mid 19th century. Crafted in rich 14 karat yellow gold, the brooch features a finely engrav...
Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold
Antique Paste Assemblage, Studio VL
By Leslie Chin x Studio VL
Located in New York, NY
Unusual Antique Paste Assemblage in sterling silver by Studio VL. Antique 19th and 20th Century paste elements set in sterling are combined to form a cascading articulated floral bra...
Sterling Silver
Extraordinary 19th Century Paste Spray in the Naturalist Style
Located in New York, NY
Massive paste set spray of a life like orchid spray from the mid 19th Century. Set in sterling with hand set and hand cut pastes, period jewels of this size are rare and extraordinar...
Sterling Silver
Antique 14k Yellow Gold Seed Pearl and Paste Ornate Stick Pin
Located in New York, NY
A romantic late Victorian 14k yellow gold stick pin, lavishly detailed with scrolling foliate motifs and rope-twist accents. The head is set with a vivid paste green stone surrounded...
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 19th Century 18K Rock Crystal Lover's Eye with Silver & Paste Teardrop
Located in New York, NY
While the craze for Lover’s Eye miniatures flourished from the 1790s through the 1820s—spurred on by the Prince of Wales’ famously illicit romance with Maria Fitzherbert—this brooc...
Rock Crystal, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Victorian Paste Floral Brooch
Located in New York, NY
Elegant Victorian Paste Floral Brooch from the 19th Century. 3 dimensional flower head is set in a spray of leaves and buds which are all set with pastes. 19th Century French silver...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Victorian Diamond and Green-Paste Brooch
Located in London, GB
A Victorian diamond and green-paste brooch, the brooch in the form of a flower with a cushion-shaped green paste to the centre surrounded by six petals set with old European-cut diam...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
Antique Suffragette Victorian Silver Paste Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
To read more please click continue reading below- This fabulous Sterling Silver Victorian Paste brooch is a genuine Suffragette piece, Circa 1900.
Sterling Silver
Victorian French Paste Brooch Pendant
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An absolutely stunning piece of Victorian craftsmanship, this brooch is made from fantastic French paste stones (meant to imitate the raw sparkle of diamonds) set in an intricate rho...
Other, Silver
Victorian Paste Silver Crescent Moon Brooch
By Knoll and Pregizer
Located in Boston, Lincolnshire
A Beautiful Antique Victorian late 1800s Silver and Paste crescent brooch by Knoll & Pregizer.
Silver
Antique Victorian Silver Paste Blue and White Paste Crescent Brooch
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous Victorian crescent brooch is set in Sterling Silver.
Quartz, Rock Crystal, Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Stone Silver Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous Victorian Paste Stone brooch is set in Silver, Circa 1900.
Silver
Antique Victorian French Paste Butterfly Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
To read more please click continue reading below- This wonderful antique French Sterling Silver Butterfly brooch is genuine Victorian Circa 1900. Butterfly or insect jewellery is ...
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Butterfly Paste Brooch Silver, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This beautiful Antique Victorian brooch has been modelled to represent the shape of a butterfly in Silver and some Gold is still visible on the back from where it has previously been...
Silver
Antique Victorian Silver Butterfly Paste Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
To read more please click continue reading below- This fabulous little antique Sterling Silver butterfly brooch is genuine Victorian Circa 1900. Butterfly or insect jewellery is h...
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Silver Paste Amethyst circa 1900 Brooch
Located in Lancaster , GB
This wonderful antique Silver, Amethyst brooch is Victorian Circa 1900 The lovely piece is decorated in eight deep purple Amethysts and white Paste Stones that sparkle like Diamonds...
Amethyst, Silver
Unavailable
H 1.86 in W 2.05 in D 0.48 in
Antique Victorian Paste Stone Butterfly Silver circa 1880 Brooch
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This beautiful Victorian butterfly brooch has been sculpted in silver.
Antique Victorian Paste Stone Butterfly Brooch Silver, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This beautiful Victorian butterfly brooch is, Circa 1880. The brooch is adorned with green Paste Stone wings, Red paste Cabochon eyes, and pretty Pearls.
Pearl, Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Stone Lizard Brooch Silver, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster , GB
A delightful antique Victorian Lizard brooch crafted in Silver and decorated with sparkling white and green Paste Stones down the back with red Paste eyes at the head.
Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Crescent Moon Brooch Silver, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This simply stunning Antique Victorian brooch is modelled from Silver in the shape of a crescent moon.
Silver
Antique Victorian Large Paste Crescent Brooch Silver, circa 1860
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This exquisite antique Victorian crescent brooch is adorned with old cut Paste Stones.
Sterling Silver
Unavailable
H 0.56 in W 1.5 in L 3.55 in
Antique Victorian Lizard Brooch Paste Sterling Silver, circa 1890
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
A fabulous Antique Victorian brooch modelled in Sterling Silver, depicting a colourful lizard decorated with stripes of old cut emerald green and white Pastes Stones down the back an...
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Stone Snake Brooch Silver, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
A fabulous antique Victorian serpent brooch C. 1900, depicting a wonderful coiled snake which represents love, loyalty and friendship.
Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Tanzanite Garnet Butterfly Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous sterling Silver butterfly brooch is set with Paste, Tanzanite and Garnet stones.
Garnet, Tanzanite, Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Silver Horseshoe Riding Brooch Paste Stones, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
The brooch features a Silver horseshoe set with red Ruby-like Paste Stones, a riding helmet set with glass Turquoise stones and a riding crop attached to two droppers which are in th...
Silver
Antique Victorian Orange Paste 18 Carat on Pinchbeck, circa 1880 Brooch
Located in Lancaster , GB
A grand antique Pinchbeck knot brooch that was beautifully made during the Victorian era, Circa 1880.
18k Gold, Pinchbeck
Unavailable
W 1.19 in D 0.4 in L 2.37 in
Antique Victorian Paste Salamander Brooch 9 Carat Gold Silver, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
WEIGHT: 13.3grams MEASURES: Width 30mm x Height 60mm x Depth 10mm METAL: 9ct Yellow Gold, Silver STONES: Paste AGE: Victorian, Circa 1880 ORIGIN: United Kingdom CONDITION: Exc...
9k Gold, Silver
Unavailable
H 1.78 in W 1.74 in
Antique Victorian Snake Brooch Silver Gold Fire Opal Paste, circa 1850
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
A wonderful antique Victorian brooch depicting a circular serpent biting its tail which in Victorian times represented love, loyalty and eternal love.
Opal, Turquoise, Silver, 18k Gold
Unavailable
Antique Victorian Paste Arrow Pin
Located in New York, NY
A gorgeous late 19th century paste arrow pin with curved ribbon and the feathery tail motif. The three large paste stones are set high-rise, and the pin is made with various sizes of...
Unavailable
W 0.62 in D 0.22 in L 2.02 in
Antique 15ct Gold Diamond Paste Horseshoe Pin Brooch c1840 2.5g 625 Purity
Located in Camelford, GB
Gemstones: Round cut diamond paste stones x 9 Age: Early Victorian (c1840s) Condition: Excellent for age.
Diamond, Gold, 15k Gold, Rose Gold
Antique Victorian Silver Star Paste Brooch, circa 1900
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous antique Silver Star Paste Brooch is genuine Victorian Circa 1900. The wonderful brooch depicts a star which has 16 points and is adorned with sparkling white Paste St...
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Silver Crescent Moon Paste Brooch, circa 1860
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
To read more please click continue reading below- This fabulous antique Silver Crescent moon Paste Brooch is genuine Victorian Circa 1860. The wonderful brooch depicts a crescent ...
Silver
Victorian Silver and Paste Spider Brooch
Located in NEWARK, GB
A gorgeous antique late Victorian spider brooch in sterling silver and paste.
Victorian Bohemian Garnet Paste, Floral Spray Brooch
Located in NEWARK, GB
A beautiful antique, Victorian era Bohemian garnet paste brooch. The Victorians could do amazing things with glass and this includes the beauty of paste jewellery from the era, this...
Gilt Metal
Antique Paste Star Brooch, Sterling Silver, Victorian
Located in NEWARK, GB
A magical antique, Victorian era paste star brooch. Glittering old cut paste stones set against the backdrop of aged silver patina give this brooch such a mystical feel to it.
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Star Brooch, Sterling Silver
Located in NEWARK, GB
A gorgeous antique, Victorian era star brooch. A small but chunky little brooch crafted in sterling silver with an aged patina.
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Crescent Brooch, Sterling Silver
Located in NEWARK, GB
A very pretty late Victorian, silver and paste crescent brooch. A beautiful curved moon set with pretty sparkling paste stones, resembling diamond with plenty of sparkle.
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Paste Crescent Brooch, Moon, Sterling Silver
Located in NEWARK, GB
A very pretty late Victorian, silver and paste crescent brooch. A beautiful chunky curved moon set with pretty sparkling paste stones, resembling diamond with plenty of sparkle.
Sterling Silver
Late Victorian Paste Amethyst Seed Pearl Gold Pin Brooch
Located in Miami, FL
Late Victorian Paste Amethyst Seed Pearl Gold Pin Bring nostalgia and grace back with this 12 karat gold Late Victorian paste amethyst pin. 44 ornate seed pearls surround this lov...
Pearl, Amethyst, Gold
Late Victorian 14k Yellow Gold Enamel & Paste Blue Pansy Brooch 1890s
Located in Towson, MD
This enchanting 1890s pin is crafted in 14 karat yellow gold and depicts a delicate pansy motif in blue, white, black, and yellow enamel. A single 2mm round paste stone—lead glass cu...
Yellow Gold, Enamel
Antique Victorian Man in the Moon and paste Crescent brooch, sterling silver
Located in NEWARK, GB
A stunning antique, Victorian era Man in the Moon and crescent brooch.
Sterling Silver
Antique Silver Early Victorian Paste Swallow Bird Brooch With a Garnet Eye
Located in Brighton, GB
Victorian Swallow Brooch Silver Circa 1850 This silver brooch is a stunning example of early Victorian jewellery design.
Silver
Sold
W 0.67 in L 1.38 in
Victorian 18 Karat Yellow Gold Seed Pearl Blue Red Paste Butterfly Bar Brooch
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
This is a lovely butterfly or dragonfly bar brooch crafted in 18K yellow gold. It features seed pearls and colourful paste.
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
Victorian Paste Tremblant Corsage Brooch
Located in New York, NY
Massive Victorian Paste Corsage brooch with tremblant flower heads set in sterling silver.
Sterling Silver
Antique Paste Shamrock Brooch, Sterling Silver, Victorian
Located in NEWARK, GB
A beautiful and unusual antique Victorian era sterling silver and paste Shamrock or clover brooch.
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Scottish Silver and Paste Brooch
Located in NEWARK, GB
A stunning antique Victorian Scottish silver and paste brooch. An engraved silver base set with raised colourful paste stones in various bright colours; citrus yellow, Amethyst purp...
Silver, Silver Plate
Late Victorian Paste Sterling Silver Flower Brooch
Located in Houston, TX
A late Victorian sterling silver and closed-back paste flower pin. The paste stones are nice chunky old stones with a great twinkle. Contains original C-catch. Circa 1890. It is t...
Sterling Silver
1890 Victorian Sterling Silver Paste Flower Basket Brooch
Located in Lexington, KY
This absolutely gorgeous Victorian brooch features bright white paste and brightly colored paste set in a sterling silver flower basket!
Other, Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Emerald Paste Target Brooch 1890s
Located in Wilmslow, GB
An antique emerald target brooch. A very pretty original Victorian target brooch.
Antique sterling silver and rose gold paste brooch, Victorian
Located in NEWARK, GB
A pretty Victorian silver, paste and Rose gold brooch. It is an ellipse shaped brooch with a beautiful rim of sparkling paste stones, the centre has an applied rose gold panel engra...
Rose Gold, Sterling Silver
Antique Paste Crescent moon brooch, 9k gold and silver, Victorian
Located in NEWARK, GB
If you are a lover of celestial jewellery then you won't be able to resist this exceptional early Victorian, silver and 9ct gold paste crescent brooch.
9k Gold, Silver
Antique Victorian Coque de Perle eye brooch, Whitby Jet and paste
Located in NEWARK, GB
A rare and unusual find is this antique Victorian era Whitby Jet and Coque de Perle eye brooch.
Victorian Paste Snake Boutonniere/Enhancer
Located in New York, NY
Charming Victorian Paste Snake Boutonniere or enhancer from the late 19th Century. Of French manufacture with hand set pastes in the body of the coiled snake. A spring mechanism on ...
Vermeil, Silver
Ciro 'SCP' 1940s Silver and Paste Vintage Star Brooch
By Ciro 8
Located in Skelmersdale, GB
The Details... This brooch is crafted sterling silver. It features a star design with a central floral motif replicating a style of brooch seen in the Victorian era.
Silver
Victorian Sterling Silver and Paste Swan Stickpin, circa 1890's
Located in Venice, CA
The swan on this Victorian-era stickpin is adorned with five hand-cut high table paste stones in its wings and a ruby cabochon for its eye. The sterling silver is well-oxidized makin...
Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling silver and Moonstone scorpion brooch, blue paste eyes
Located in NEWARK, GB
Marks and era: Late Victorian era c1900, unmarked tests as sterling silver.
Moonstone, Sterling Silver
Antique Silver and Paste Lizard Brooch, Early 20th Century, c. 1900
Located in Malmö, Skåne län
A fine antique early 20th century paste lizard or salamander brooch, artfully and expertly handcrafted in silver, partly gilt, workmanship c. 1900, in a fitted case, with the cutest ...
Silver
Antique Victorian 14 Karat Rose Gold Opal and Paste Stick Pin
Located in Great Neck, NY
Victorian Stick Pin with an opal center surrounded by a halo of green paste and grey paste. Metal: 14K Rose Gold Weight: 1.3 Grams Measurements: Head measures 9.7 mm in circumfer...
Opal, 14k Gold
Rock Crystal Layering Necklace with Vintage Paste Bird Brooch
Located in Colleyville, TX
A large strand of rock crystal faceted ovals in oxidized silver with a beautiful floral paste design clasp, lends itself as the shimmering basis of a layering necklace design. Susp...
Crystal, Sterling Silver, Base Metal
Victorian Paste Rosebud Brooch
Located in London, GB
A brooch in the form of a rose bud sprig set with green and red paste. Mounted in silver and gilt metal. English, circa 1850.
Antique Victorian Blue Paste Gold Brooch
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous Aquamarine Paste brooch is Victorian, set in 9ct Yellow Gold.
9k Gold
Antique Victorian Paste Silver Butterfly Brooch
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This beautiful Butterfly Brooch boasts beautiful coloured Paste Stones and Pearls, all set in Sterling Silver.
Pearl, Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Pearl Paste Bug Brooch
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
Insect and bug jewellery is highly collectable and a symbol of good luck to the wearer during the Victorian Eras. The brooch is adorned with beautiful white Paste Stones decorating ...
Ruby, Gold, Sterling Silver
Victorian Silver Paste Star Brooch, circa 1880
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire
This fabulous antique Victorian Silver Paste brooch is Circa 1880. Star brooches became popular during the late 19th Century as an interest in astronomy grew.
Silver
Louis Comfort Tiffany Black Opal and Plique a Jour Brooch
By Louis Comfort Tiffany
Located in Riverdale, NY
Tiffany Arts and Crafts Era Black Opal and Plique a Jour Brooch circa 1910's by Louis Comfort Tiffany with Julia Munson in 18k gold. Large peacock Black Opal round measuring .75" x 5...
Opal, 18k Gold
Rare Trifari Hanging Monkey Brooch, Alfred Phillipe
By Alfred Philippe for Trifari
Located in New York, NY
Rare, Collector quality Trifari Hanging Monkey Brooch, by Alfred Phillipe in sterling vermeil with pastes. Charming articulated design which allows monkey to hang from a branch clutc...
Vermeil, Sterling Silver
Antique Georgian Silver Old Cut Paste and Pearl Monkey Pin
Located in Great Neck, NY
Beautiful Antique Georgian Silver Old Cut Paste and Pearl Monkey Pin. This gorgeous Georgian pin is crafted in silver. This pin features a monkey playfully sitting on a branch and ha...
Pearl, Silver
$15,019
W 1.5 in L 2.52 in
Antique Monkeys Diamond Natural Pearl Ruby Sapphire Brooch Silver Gold French
Located in Lisbon, PT
Antique Circus Monkeys Diamond, Natural Pearl, Burmese Ruby and Sapphire Brooch in Silver and Gold by Bernard Zweig, France, circa 1905. Behold a rare and enchanting piece of jewelry...
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
The reign of Queen Victoria encapsulates a quickly evolving period of history — and jewelry styles were no exception. No single period has seen such a diverse group of jewelry attributed to it than the Victorian era. Today, there is a vast collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry and watches on 1stDibs.
Victorian jewelry is named after Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837 to 1901, making her the second longest-ruling monarch. (She was surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015.) During this time, different styles of fashion and jewelry came and went. Thanks to our fascination with royalty and swoon-worthy melodramas like Netflix’s The Crown — which is rife with evocative fashion, jewelry and interiors — and the 2017 feature film Victoria & Abdul, we are all familiar with her story. After the death of Victoria’s father and three childless uncles, she ascended to the throne at age 18. In 1840, Queen Victoria married the love of her life, her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Queen Victoria loved serpentine jewels, and she had even more power to shape trends than Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle do today. The British monarch’s best-known piece in this mold is the gold coiled-snake engagement ring she received from Prince Albert — the sinuous reptile was considered a symbol of everlasting love.
The Queen's 63-year reign has been divided by historians into the Romantic period, the early happy years, circa 1837–60; the Grand period, marked by the deaths of the Queen’s mother and husband, circa 1860–80; and the late Victorian or Aesthetic period, which lasted from about 1880 until 1901 and ushered in the Belle Époque. Queen Victoria wore her heart on her sleeve, and her fashion and jewelry reflected her emotions.
Romantic period jewelry, which featured common decorative motifs and was embellished with seed pearls, coral and turquoise, was a celebration of the young monarch’s love. Everything changed with the death of Prince Albert, and the Grand period is most often associated with mourning jewelry. Jewelry was smaller, lighter and more dainty during the late Victorian period. During this era, diamonds came into fashion, and semiprecious gems such as amethysts and opals became prevalent, too. Using gemstones for their natural beauty and not their worth was something that jewelers of the era felt passionate about, and this ideology would really become relevant in Art Nouveau jewelry.
Find a collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry — from rings, necklaces and brooches to a range of other accessories — on 1stDibs.
Vintage brooches, which refer to decorative jewelry traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.
While jewelry trends come and go, brooches are indeed back on the radar thanks to fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, Dior and Saint Laurent, all of which feature fun pinnable designs in their current collections. Whether a dazzlingly naturalistic Art Nouveau dragonfly, a whimsical David Webb animal, a gem-studded bloom or a streamlined abstract design, these jewels add color and sparkle to your look and a spring to your step.
Given their long history, brooches have expectedly taken on a variety of different shapes and forms over time, with jewelers turning to assorted methods of ornamentation for these accessories, including enameling and the integration of pearls and gemstones. Cameo brooches that originated during the Victorian age are characterized by a shell carved in raised relief that feature portraits of a woman’s profile, while 19th-century micromosaic brooches, comprising innumerable individually placed glass fragments, sometimes feature miniature depictions of a pastoral scene in daily Roman life.
At one time, brooches were symbols of wealth, made primarily from the finest metals and showcasing exquisite precious gemstones. Today, these jewels are inclusive and universal, and you don’t have to travel very far to find an admirer of brooches. They can be richly geometric in form, such as the ornate diamond pins dating from the Art Deco era, or designer-specific, such as the celebrated naturalistic works created by Tiffany & Co., the milk glass and gold confections crafted by Trifari or handmade vintage Chanel brooches of silk or laminated sheer fabric. Chanel, of course, has never abandoned this style, producing gorgeously baroque CC examples since the 1980s.
Brooches are versatile and adaptable. These decorative accessories can be worn in your hair, on hats, scarves and on the lower point of V-neck clothing. Pin a dazzling brooch to the lapel of your blazer-and-tee combo or add a cluster of smaller pins to your overcoat. And while brooches have their place in “mourning jewelry,” in that a mourning brooch is representative of your connection to a lost loved one, they’re widely seen as romantic and symbolic of love, so much so that a hardcore brooch enthusiast might advocate for brooches to be worn over the heart.
Today, find a wide variety of antique and vintage brooches for sale on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.