Vintage brooches

A unique and very old piece of jewelry, the brooch seduces fans of vintage fashion and elegance. Carefully attached to a garment, the brooch enhances an outfit in the blink of an eye, it attracts the eye and embodies your uniqueness.

The brooch has spanned the centuries and continues to delight women today thanks to its extremely varied shapes and colors. It can be worn discreetly or fancifully, to adorn the lapel of a jacket or to close a neckline.

Joaillerie de vie, Castafiore has of course unearthed a beautiful selection of vintage, second-hand or antique brooches . You will find in our catalog Art Nouveau or Art Deco pieces, but also brooches imagined by big names in French jewelry, cameos, pin brooches as well as barrette brooches.

The brooch: one of the oldest pieces of jewelry

If the brooch is today a classic fashion accessory used to enhance an outfit, this jewel is in truth very old and above all functional. What we call today a “brooch” corresponds in archaeology to what we call a “fibula”. This very precious jewel was used from the Bronze Age by the Celts, the Romans, the Etruscans and the Greeks: it was used to fasten clothes and indicated the social rank of its wearer. For archaeologists, the fibula is a valuable indicator because it allows them to date tombs and better understand the social affiliation of the deceased.

The brooch is therefore a form of evolution of the fibula: over the centuries, it became a real ornament that took on a high symbolic value. During the medieval period, for example, it could be a religious symbol or a heart-shaped jewel offered as an engagement gift. During the modern era, jewelers transformed the brooch using ingenious processes: the jewel could thus be used as a brooch and transformed into a necklace, for example! The brooch is also a real indicator of artistic trends: Art Nouveau and Art Deco in particular took hold of this jewel to give birth to exceptional pieces. Even today, contemporary jewelers continue to produce brooches that women wear to perfect an evening outfit or to bring originality to a city outfit.

The brooch through time: icon of artistic trends

The brooch is a piece of jewelry that embodies artistic developments: thanks to its shape, we can recognize at a glance its era of creation.

During the Belle Époque and throughout the Art Nouveau period, the brooch was all about curves, it embodied the feminine and natural forms advocated in particular by Lalique. It could then be adorned with diamonds or pearls. When Art Deco took over, the artistic movement imposed more graphic and geometric shapes: the brooch was then “plaque”, it was openwork and adorned with precious stones. Over the centuries, major jewelry houses began to produce brooches: we will find in particular models signed by Boucheron, Van Cleef & Arpels or Cartier. These big names innovated by offering new attachment systems. The brooch was often used to enhance an evening outfit, it was attached to fragile and precious fabrics: Cartier thus chose to develop clip brooches while Van Cleef & Arpels designed models with double pin. From the 1940s onwards, the design of brooches became more exuberant: in particular, a bestiary appeared, transforming the jewel into a real sculpture. Until the 1960s, the brooch was very colourful, covered with precious stones and enamel.

Nowadays, the brooch continues to adorn the most elegant or the simplest outfits, it is exuberant or minimalist, figured or geometric, in gold, platinum or silver, set with precious stones or decorated with enamel. It can be a clip, take the form of a pin or of course be worked in cameo to reveal a portrait.

Choosing your brooch from Castafiore

Worn on a jacket, jeans or even a sweater, the brooch is back in the spotlight to give your outfits a unique touch that will allow you to break with habits. Because it attracts the eye, the brooch easily replaces the necklace or earrings, it can be an exceptional jewel or an everyday jewel.

For lovers of vintage fashion and elegance, Castafiore has developed a beautiful collection of antique, vintage and second-hand brooches . Browse our catalog to discover a wide variety of models that all embody their own style.

The Castafiore brooch takes the essential form of the cameo: it then depicts delicate portraits that can be seen for example on a black onyx background. Our selection of course gives pride of place to Art Deco: find exceptional pieces in platinum and diamonds, delicately geometric, sometimes openwork and always dazzling. Of course, Castafiore invites you to discover a large bestiary: turtle, bee, lion, fish, panther or even dragonfly and leopard. Nature is also widely represented: we see flowers such as the wild rose or the daisy, but also the rose and certainly carefully drawn foliage. Floral and natural motifs are of course in the spotlight during the Art Nouveau period, but you will also find flowers and leaves through more recent creations by Boucheron or Van Cleef & Arpels for example. The great jewelry houses have undoubtedly contributed greatly to shaping the brooch over the decades: Castafiore also invites you to discover exceptional models designed by Mellerio, Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Hermès, Chaumet, Mauboussin, Chimento, Fred and Nardi.

Browse our collection of brooches and fall for your favorite model, to wear every day and pass on endlessly to celebrate the jewelry of life.