Pin up girls

Your faithful hostess (that would be me) is fanatical about vintage brooches and pins.

My growing "collection" started early in my teenage years: I inherited a few beautiful pins when my wonderful and much-missed great grandmother passed away. That inheritance ignited the costume jewellery flame and I've been a big fan of retro pins and brooches ever since.

Here are some of my favourite styles, and some brand names to look out for when you're at the antique market.







1. Art Glass

This is a common style of vintage brooch. Look for colours you absolutely adore (Swoony Pinkerson over here is a great example). I like to look for pieces that have an interesting mix of glass, beads, and metal trinketry (totally just made up that word).







Deco-style pins like this one (probably early 60s) often have lots of delicate trinketry, like little birds and flowers.





Vendome is one name to look out for. Isn't this blue flower pin with dangles just divine?







Juliana is another great brand. The turquoise, green, and gold colour scheme is gorgeous.







This style of glass bead is called "moonglow" and often appears on brooches designed as bunches of grapes. It comes in all colours and is a very pretty addition to any collection.







2. Swirls and Circles


These swirly pins from the late 50s/early 60s are really fun. They remind me of 50s picture hats--those dreamy broad-brimmed, sometimes fringed hats the elegant ladies would wear when out lunching or sunning or doing whatever elegant ladies did back then.





This is a Ciner brooch--again, a quality jewellery maker from the mid-century era.








These jewelled circle pins are also pretty in rootbeer and smoky art glass.







An elegant and simple silver Kremetz circle pin.






3. Enamelled

I don't know about you, but I really have a thing for enamelled pins. They're way up there on the Girly-o-Meter, but if whimsy is your thing, keep your eyes peeled for these because they're often quite unique and you're very likely to find yourself a one-of-a-kind.


This bird of paradise flew in from the 1930s.






An enamelled wisteria blossom.









A unique enamelled chatelaine pin.









4. Golden Flowers and Pearls



Miriam Haskell, a jewellery maker known for using organic shapes, flowers, birds, and animals, began designing in the mid-1920s. The shape and symmetry of this gold and pearl piece hearkens back to the art deco era that preceded Haskell.



Jomaz is a company established in the late 1920s by New York jewellery makers Joseph and Louis Mazer. Look for Pave-style jewels on Jomaz pieces.