Not Your Grandma's Brooch

Hello everyone! Today’s featured spotlight is on a timeless piece of jewelry that most people usually associate with a more mature demographic. We are here to tell you that the brooch is back and kicking! In the course of a few seasons, brooches have made a glorious comeback in fashion and the red carpet. Brooches have made a splash in the fashion arena, thanks to their versatility. You can wear them in the hair, on a scarf, fastened to the waistline of a gown or dress, or strewn over different jacket styles. Here at Jaimie Nicole we love to include a piece that you may not typically see in most collections and for our spring/summer collection, we decided on modernizing the brooch. Let’s take a look at the history of this stand out accessory. It is interesting to note that brooches did not start out as jewels. They began life as functional, utilitarian items that were used to secure pieces of clothing, like a loincloth. The first recorded brooches were made of thorns and flint, while pins crafted from metal date back to the Bronze Age. Although brooches became more ornamental during the Byzantine period, they were still most commonly worn as a fastener for a scarf or a shawl, which eventually evolved into more elaborate designs worn to accessorize rather than hold together the fashions of the day. The pins of the Byzantines were often enameled with bright colors and patterns. While the pin was still used for function over form, the enameled brooches allowed for the transition to an ornamental accessory. As brooches and pins were increasingly unnecessary for fastening clothing, they increased in size and served an ornamental purpose. As jewelry was an object of status, these brooches became decorated with gemstones and crafted in fine metals. The pieces became an accessory that jewelers created in shapes of animals, flowers, geometric patterns and cameos. The brooch alternated between ornate, gem-focused designs and open-work metal designs, depending on the jewelry trends of the period. In the 20th century, brooches were primarily worn below the neckline near the breast. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is credited with making brooches a part of her signature look. The Queen is often seen wearing ornamental and intricate pieces that make a bold statement. Lucky for you, we are seeing a big revival in the use of this fabulous accessory.  As a part of our spring/summer collection we included a beautiful multicolor stone oval brooch. The use of colorful gemstones helps celebrate this joyful season in style. Our brooch includes pink opal, quartz, beer quartz, peridot, carnelian, and blue chalcedony. This piece pairs great with our Warm or Cool stud earrings. These stud earrings can be bought as a matching set or as a mismatched pair. If colors aren’t really your thing, we also have our Gold and cubic zircona circle brooch. Style it with our sterling silver and cubic zirconia circle stud earrings for a put together look. This brooch is a more classic silhouette and matches with just about anything. BONUS: it is on sale!!! Remember Mother’s Day is only a few days away. These brooches make amazing gifts for mom, or for yourself! Please feel free to stop by our Coral Gables showroom. We are located at 4649 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Coral Gables Florida 33146 suite 305. We would be thrilled to assist you with all of your gifting needs! XO, Jaimie Nicole