Archive for vintage brooch
Antique and Vintage Brooches
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s a lot of fresh antique and vintage brooches on antiquesavenue this week. From Victorian through to the 1950s, there has to be a brooch for every taste. Here is a quick tour of these brooches
Victorian Amethyst Brooch
Here’s a genuine Victorian brooch set with a real amethyst and with a glass covered locket panel at the back containing a lock of hair. This brooch is made of gold toned metal and it also has a hinged loop so that it can be worn on a chain as a pendant.
This Victorian brooch measures about 5.5 cms long. At some stage during its life this brooch has been repaired and there are signs of this. Now the brooch is solid and wearable but offered at a bargain price due to the repairs
A very unusual Victorian cameo brooch. This cameo is carved from agate and I believe the gentleman in the picture is Napoleon. Agate cameos are much rarer than shell cameos partially because it is much harder to carve. Finding a cameo brooch where you can name the subject is also quite rare making this a very good piece of antique jewellery.
Art Nouveau Cameo Brooch
Here is a super and really rare cameo carved from Queen Conch giving a beautiful pale pink and white colour. The cameo depicts an art nouveau lady and an owl with its wings open . This is the first time I have seen this cameo. The cameo is set into a gold toned frame, in total the brooch measures about 5.2 cms long and about 4.4 cms wide.
Over the years this brooch has suffered a little with the frame being a bit wobbly ( there is one of 4 pins missing at the back) and the catch has been repaired at some point. The cameo its self has faired much better, the line you can see in the revers is from the original shell and does not go through to the design. There are two short tiny stress lines but the cameo really is sound in itself.
1950s moon glow Lucite Brooches
A stunning pair of vintage brooches made of pink moon glow Lucite and dating from the 1950s. The brooches have moon glow Lucite beads and also matching pink aurora borealis beads. Each brooch has multiple tassels hanging down. These brooches measure up to 7 cms long and will make a real statement when worn especially if you wear both together.
Vintage brooches news March 2010
Posted by: | CommentsHere is the March update from AntiquesAvenue.co.uk including a look at the lovely antique and Vintage brooches which have recently been added to the site .
Blog News
Over on my main blog at http://www.antiquesavenue.com/ I’ve been taking a look at the A-Z of antique and vintage jewellery materials and have just completed the letter A for Agate, Amber, Amethyst and Aventurine.
Have you seen my Vintage Jewellery Videos yet? They are all shown in the previous post here or you can pop along to You-tube and view the AntiquesAvenue channel
Vintage Jewellery Shop News
As always I’ve been adding lots of fresh stock including Vintage Brooches. Vintage Brooches have been a popular gift fro Mothers Days again this year and I am selling quite a few which are to be given as Easter gifts. Much less fattening that Easter eggs and much longer lasting too.
Vintage Brooches recently added
Taking a look at a few of the lovely antique and Vintage brooches I’ve added recently:
Rare gold Mizpah brooch:
Victorian Mizpah brooches are always sought after and even more so when they are made of gold like this one.
Mizpah: The Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another.
This piece of antique jewellery measures about 4 cms long
Jelly Belly duck Vintage Brooch
Jelly Belly duck brooch vintage Lucite and silver
This cute duck brooch is made out of silver ( impressed sterling) , It is set with a clear Lucite “Jelly Belly” and has a diamante eye
Coming Soon:
I’ve a few nice Victorian brooches to be added over the next week or two including a Whitby jet cameo brooch and some sweet Victorian sentimental silver brooches. Do check back soon.
I’m going to try and update this blog a little more often to show the wonderful variety of vintage brooches available.
Mothers Day vintage brooches
Posted by: | CommentsMother Day is one of my favourite gift occasions for giving vintage jewellery and I think the best piece of jewellery you can give Mum is a vintage brooch in the shape of flowers. A lovely vintage brooch can cost as little as a bunch of real flowers and is going to last much much longer. This year mothers day falls on March 14th in the UK so there is still plenty of time to choose your perfect pin.
There is a huge variety of antique and vintage flower brooches to choose from: gold, silver or costume. You can still find some lovely Victorian silver flower brooches, a porcelain brooch which was hand painted with flowers in the early 1900s or a showy flower spray set with diamante from the 1950s or 1960s.
Here are a few favourite vintage flower brooches from antiquesavenue.co.uk
A stunning Castlecliff brooch dating from I believe the 1940s. This is made of silver ( sterling is impressed on the reverse). It is huge measuring about 9.5 cms long and 5.5 cms wide. This is in excellent wearable condition. Castlecliff were an American Jewellery company. Here is what I have been able to find out about them:
Founded By Clifford Furst And Joseph Bobley In New York City, Castlecliff Was A Highly Respected Name In The Jewelry Industry, And Its Beauty Was Just As Highly Prized By Women Then As It Is By Those Lucky Enough To Find A Piece Now. Sold In Only The Finest Departments Stores, Castlecliff Was Impeccably Produced In Bold Yet Startlingly Intricate Designs
Antique brooch Dura Lily of Valley Victorian
This wonderful antique Victorian brooch made of white metal ( tests as silver) and set with a Pietra Dura panel with a picture of a Lily of the valley. The leaves of the flower are made of malachite and the flowers in white agate. This really is a superb piece of antique jewellery.
Material:Silver and hardstonesSize:5.5 x 4.3 cmsAge:Mid Victorian Condition: Excellent
A very pretty enameled flower brooch – a bunch of pansies. This brooch was made by Exquisite and dates from circa 1950s. I believe that this was made as part of the birthdays series and I think that this one is for May. This brooch measures about 6.5 cms long
Or you can view all of my antique and vintage brooches together.
Victorian silver Brooches
Posted by: | CommentsVictorian Silver Brooches.
Over a year ago I wrote a little about how special Victorian brooches are as they are wearable as well as being antique. Today I am going to take a look at a few Victorian silver brooches. Silver brooches were very popular during the Victorian ear, silver was cheap compared with gold and much more workable that other metals available at the time. The range of silver brooches the Victorians made was huge , the included name brooches, Mizpah brooches, mourning brooches, Scottish brooches, Sentimental or Sweetheart brooches. A few more are religious silver brooches, good luck and friendship brooches and commemorative for large events such as Royal Jubilees.
Victorian silver brooches can be purchased from around £25 to about £140 . It is unusual for silver brooches of the Victorian era to be by named designers and also rare for them to be set with precious jewels and so although some exceptional brooches can be found they are rarely priced over this level unless set with a particularly well carved cameo (for example).
Here are a few collectable Victorian silver brooches for you to look at:
Antique Brooch hand painted porcelain bird of paradise

A genuine antique brooch set with a porcelain plaque which has been hand painted with a bird of paradise. This brooch is set into a silver frame ( tested not hallmarked) and has an attached safety chain. I have checked the painting under a magnifying glass and can confirm that the picture is hand painted .
Antique brooch Victorian name Fanny
This antique brooch dates from the Victorian era when name brooches like this were popular. Made of silver “Fanny” is entwined with leaves/ This is an unusually large antique name brooch being 6.4 cms long. As with most brooches of the Victorian era, this fastens with a simple C catch

Where do you find Victorian silver brooches?
As with any sort of vintage or antique jewellery , I suggest you have a look over at www.antiquesavenue.co.uk for your Victorian Brooch. eBay is another source of antique brooches but please do make sure that you check what you are buying and the seller to ensure that you have the genuine item and are not being sold a much newer copy. If you have the time you can take a wander around your local antique fair or antique center too.
How to care for victorian silver brooches
Silver is quite robust, after all your Victorian brooch is over a 100 years old and it will still be around in a hundred years time if you take good care of it. Check the condition of the hinge and catch before wearing the brooch. The catches were a simple C shape which comes undone much more easily than today’s safety catches. Possible a safety chain has been added to the brooch, if not you could consider adding one if it is done with care.
I suggest that you keep your silver reasonably clean without over polishing it. A light and careful clean after wearing will help to keep the salts from your fingers fro attacking the silver. Use a soft dry cloth to polish the silver rather than harsh chemicals. Perhaps a occasional wash under the tap if you have spilt perfume or make up onto the brooch but never use a washing up liquid with lemon in it as citrus attacks silver.
Dont just throw your Victorian silver brooches into a jewellery box with all your other pieces of jewellery as they can easily damage each other . You could wrap each brooch individually in a piece of Acid free tissue paper or pin them to cushions to display them.
Still time to buy Vintage Brooches for Christmas
Posted by: | CommentsHave you bought all your Christmas gifts yet? There is still time to buy vintage brooches and have them delivered ready for the big day . The last posting day for airmail to the USA to ensure Christmas arrival is Fridays this week ( 11 December) . Orders travelling within the UK can be ordered up until December 22nd and will be dispatched up to December 23rd by Special Delivery during tha last few days.
Here are a few lovely brooches you could buy for a lucky lady in your life:
Antique brooch banded agate Victorian Jewellery
Antique Brooch dating from the mid to later 1800s when Queen Victorian popularised all things Scottish. This antique brooch is made of gold toned metal and set with a central banded agate panel in a decorative surround. This antique brooch measures about 5.4 cms wide
Antique brooch Diamond pearl turquoise snowflake brooch pendant
A superb antique brooch in the shape of a snowflake. This brooch is made of 18 carat gold ( tested not hallmarked) and set centrally with a real diamond. Pearls radiate along the arms of the snowflake and there is a turquoise on alternate points. This brooch has a hook on the back so that it could be worn on a chain as a pendant.
Material:Gold , Diamond, Pearl, Turquoise Size:Just over 3 cms diameter Age: Victorian Condition: Excellent
antique brooch rock crystal in silver mount
This antique brooch really sparkles. It is made from a faceted rock crystal gemstone set into a silver mount. The stone has been cut to show off its beauty and clarity.
Measuring about 4 cms wide this antique Victorian brooch is in excellent condition.
Antique brooch silver and paste
A superb antique brooch made from silver and set with clear paste stones and a central faux citrine. Paste stones are an early type of imitation gemstone – these are set into the silver with their backs covered and sparkle wonderfully under artificial light. This antique brooch dates from the Victorian era and measures about 3.5 cms long.
The hinge and general construction of the brooch indicate the Victorian date however the original catch has been replaced with a modern one which makes the brooch much safer to wear
Vintage Brooches fresh in stock
Posted by: | CommentsI’d thought you would like to see the fresh stock of vintage brooches which have been added to http://www.antiquesavenue.co.uk/ this week. There are some wonderful brooches below are just three examples , A victorian brooch, an art deco brooch and a lovely trifari elephant brooch.
Look in the shop and you can also find wonderful original victorian scottish brooches, an amazing garnet lizard brooch and some wonderful scandinavian silver brooches. Later this week I am adding diamante brooches and a lovely old Ruskin arts and crafts cabochon silver example.
Antique brooch Dura Lily of Valley Victorian
This wonderful antique victorian brooch made of white metal ( tests as silver) and set with a Pietra Dura panel with a picture of a Lily of the valley. The leaves of the flower are made of malachite and the flowers in white agate. This really is a superb piece of antique jewellery.
Material: Silver and hardstones Size:5.5 x 4.3 cms Age:Mid Victorian Condition: Excellent
Crown Trifari elephant red crystal brooch
A really cute elephant brooch or pin made by Trifari with the Crown Trifari makers mark. This is gold toned metal set with cranberry coloured stones.
Size: 2.4 cms long
Condition: Excellent
vintage art deco enamel silver scarab brooch
Amazing original art deco scarab beetle brooch dating from circa 1920s. This is made of 800 silver mad decorated in red, green, blue and white enamel colours
Material:Silver and enamel Size: just under 3 cms long Age:Art Deco 1920s Condition: Excellent – no damage to the enamel Maker, Designer, Origin:European
Vintage brooches, this Christmas’s gift for the future
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday I took a look at what types of vintage jewellery were suitable gifts for different sorts of people this Christmas. Today I will take a look at vintage silver brooches which would be suitable to give to a baby girl to be kept for the future ( and most definitely not to be worn or played with until she gets much older)
Suggesting that you give a vintage silver brooch to a baby girl may at first seem strange but this was certainly common practice in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Just look at this one which was made specially :
Antique silver Baby brooch Victorian 1897 hallmark
Antique Brooch Edwardian silver Faith Hope Charity
I liek the symbolism on this brooch, what a nice though for a babys future. A pretty little Antique brooch dating from the Edwardian era – It has full hallmarks for 1903 and is decorated with the Symbols for Faith ( cross) Hope ( Anchor) and Charity or Love ( Heart). This silver brooch measures about 4.3 cms long and fastens with a simple C catch.
How about finding an antique Victorian brooch with babys name on it?
Victorian silver name brooch Annie
longcms Victorian name brooches are very popular today both with collectors and to be given as a gift to someone with the same name. This Victorian name brooch is Annie , it is made of fully hallmarked sterling silver and measures about 4
There are plenty more for you to look at over in my shop. Tomorrow I will take a look at a few antique silver Fobs for that special Christmas present for a baby boy.
Vintage Brooches, Jewellery News
Posted by: | CommentsVintage Brooches blog is all about Antique and Vintage brooches but what about other types of vintage jewellery and antique jewellery? Now I have a new blog dedicated to all types of vintage jewellery please do take a look over at http://www.vintage-jewellery.info
I will still be bringing you the latest on vintage brooches from antiquesavenue here on this blog
Jewellery news update from Antiquesavenue.co.uk
I am currently featuring all types of jewellery to wear around your neck – pendants, lockets and necklaces. You can get a 15% discount on all neck jewellery until the end of the week , just mail me if you would like to take up this offer. The next feature coming later this week will be charms and charm bracelets
Vintage Brooch news
Ive been adding more lovely brooches including some special Scandinavian ones by some of the top Scandinavian jewellery designers.
Newsletter Update
Have you subscribed to antiquesavenue’s news letter? Its sent out once a month and includes all the recent updates form antiquesavenue jewellery , details of whats new , give aways and special offers. Subscribers to the newsletter received and exclusive discount during September. Just enter your e.mail address – I promise never to pass the details on and you can unsubscribe at anytime.
















