Guide to Antique Brooches

Diamonds are said to be a woman's best bud, but when these are antiques, the diamonds become a woman's bosom bud, especially when these are used to adorn her cleavage. Thus are antique brooches, those ear ring-like pieces of jewelry that are used commonly by women to accessorize, rev up, and give a sort of ornamental flair to any kind of get up.

Though many models of brooches are made to be worn or clipped on clothes, there are experimental fashion geniuses who would also put brooches as ornaments on their shoes, wrist bands, bags, belts, even on plain hair accessories. Still others would prefer to make a collection of brooches, especially if these are antique ones.

Common Kinds of Antique Brooches

When one says antique brooches, of course, the understanding is that these can be dated to way, way back. The question now is, how way back can an antique brooch be considered really valuable antique accessories? To serve as a guide, here are some of the most common kinds of antique brooches out in the market these days:

1. Victorian Brooches- these are brooches resplendent of the design of fashion items during the reign of Queen Victoria of England, which took up all of the 63 year period from mid-1830s to the 1900s. Such design is appreciative of the romance and flair of ornate and bodily curves. Antique brooches made during the Victorian era usually have coral accents, and there are even some in the form of lockets that serve as memorabilia to a particular person dearest to the owner.

2. Edwardian Brooches- these, on the other hand, sprung up right after the regime of Queen Victoria of England. King Edward is, thus, basically Queen Victoria's son, and he apparently has decided to follow in the footsteps of his mother to promote great style. Apart from the female silhouette, the Edwardian era saw the emergence of soft and flowing designs, stones that have a pale and delicate color, and brooches, lots of them.

3. Albertian Brooches- these brooches, meanwhile, are typically black and indicative of some kind of mourning. This is because this type of brooches started becoming famous when Prince Albert, also of England and another advocate of fashion, died.

4. Elizabethan Brooches- these are included in the vast collections of jewelry pieces in Queen Elizabeth II's archive, mostly embellished with pearls, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. According to accounts, many of these are gifts from fellow monarchs.

5. Roman Period Brooches- Romans are hailed by many as a race of highly skillful and artsy people, which explains why most of their works, including those on jewelry and accessories like brooches, are given much acclaim in all parts of the globe. Some of the signs that one has got an antique brooch that came from the Roman era: styles that are extremely resplendent of nature, crude materials, and gigantic sized center pieces. Also, most Roman brooches have a kind of loop attachment that enable them to be compatible to any kind of clothing. Truth be told, Roman brooches are typically made to secure the robes of Romans way back, so while Roman brooches may be aesthetic, they are functional as well.

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