Jabot Pin

The Jabot Pin,  A jabot pin is a special sort of vintage brooch which rarely seen or used these days.  The pin is worn at the neck to keep a jabot in place with a jabot being a piece of lace or other material worn by men instead of a tie.  The Jabot was worn in the 17th and 18th centuries and is rarely seen today except on ceremonial dress.  In the UK you are most likely to see a Jabot being worn as part of  formal Scottish evening dress.

The features that distinguish a Jabot pin from other brooches and pins is that is will have two sides which join some how. Here is a traditional Jabot pin with the first photograph showing it closed and the lower one showing the pin open:

Jabot pin open

Victorian Jabot Pin

Victorian Jabot Pin

Not all Jabot pins are as plain and simple as the one you see above. Here is a mechanical Jabot from circa 1970s ( see the Japanese Chrysanthemums in the design?). This pin opens when you depress the decorative finials at either side. This one is quite dangerous. The pins are spring loaded and come back into place when you release the finials. Very sharp too and so would pierce the material to keep it in place.

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