The brooch has always remained a strong fashion accessory over time but recently they have really grown in popularity and style. At Rob Diamond we have located some brooches that really have a fashion edge and allow you to show your style and personal touch. Here is a bit a history on where the brooch was originally derived.
The earliest and most important influence on the development of the brooch came from the Byzantines. Their oriental taste for color produced many brightly enameled brooches. The nomadic barbarian tribes quickly carried this new art along trade and emigration routes. It soon became apparent as far away as Britain. The Byzantine brooches were of a discoidal nature, with each plaque made of hundreds of small coils. The period of pure Byzantine influence extended from the sixth to the tenth century.
The early Christian period made a great advance in its effect on brooches throughout the fifth and sixth centuries. Its influence brought the addition of symbols and inscriptions to the necessary brooch, helping along with the Byzantines, to push the brooch towards its ornamental character.
During the seventeenth century, the brooch made great strides in its size. With the increase in size came more area in which to freely use enamels and amber.
In Ireland from the ninth to the thirteenth century, the pen annular reached its point of perfection. This is evidenced in the Tara brooch, beautifully decorated gold with enamels and cabochon stones. The pin of the pen annular always pointed upwards when worn. Then the ring was twisted to hold the pin in place with the pressure of the material.
There were utilitarian brooches in the eighteenth century that closely trace the fashion of clothing. These were built upon the safety-pin type of catch. Useful brooches were of smaller size to better serve as lace pins to secure finery worn all times of the day. These useful pins were wrought of gold, silver, pinchbeck, but no matter of their settings the stones were most often not of great value.
The nineteenth century brooch took on many looks, as did the rest of the jewelry created. Early in the century, brooches began to look like the lace that many of them held, with mixed wire-work and fancy stones. Later, the vogue was a brooch made with pavé turquoise and tiny seed pearls threaded on horsehair. Throughout the next century, brooches, as with all jewels, closely followed the latest fashion.
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