Dating brooch fasteners

How to identify old brooch styles?

How to Identify and Date Old Brooch Styles 1 Sash Pin. This is a type of pin used to secure a sash at a ladys hip during the late 1800s when the fad of wearing a sash over the ... 2 C Clasp. ... 3 Collar Pin. ... 4 Dress Clip. ... 5 Duette. ... 6 Pin Clip or Fur Clip. ... 7 Jabot Pin. ... 8 Safety Clasp. ... 9 Trombone Clasp. ...

How do you date antique brooches and pins?

There are a number of clues you can use to successfully date antique and vintage brooches and pins. This usually begins with looking at things like clasps and hinges, since certain types are known to have been used during specific periods in time.

What is a C clasp on a brooch?

This type of simple C clasp or catch can be found on brooches dating primarily to the 1890s although some carryover designs in the early 1900s incorporate this finding as well. It was used on everything ranging from small Victorian bar pins to large sash pins (see above).

Why do brooches have safety catches on them?

Oh no. They provided safety against loosing your brooch! Saving blood, although noble, was a secondary consideration to protecting a valuable piece of jewelry. Early safety catches, like tube hinges, are hand made. Generally, the same person who made the brooch also made the early safety catches.

How to date a brooches?

2. Look at the findings and fittings on brooches. 3. Identify the material. 4. Use color to guess the time period. 5. Look at marks and hallmarks. The invention of different earring findings will help date your jewelry.

How can you tell the age of a brooch by the pins?

Another clue to age provided by pins is how far they extend beyond the catch. Pins used in mid-19th century brooches commonly extend from 1/8 to 1/4 beyond the catch (see illustrations, Fig. 2). Many pins of this period may also extend that same distance beyond the edge of the brooch itself (Fig. 18).

What are the parts of a brooch?

This type of brooch, usually long and vertically shaped, consists of a single central pin with two decorative ornaments at either end. The lower ornament, which either clicks or screws into place, is detachable allowing the connecting pin to be slipped through the garment.

How to identify vintage and antique jewelry?

This means that there are many different types of vintage and antique jewelry based on fashion trends, manufacturing styles, popular materials, and jewelry stamps. 4 Ways of Identification 1. Figure Out the Jewelry Style One of the most telling ways to identify your jewelry is by its style, which can correspond to a specific time period or area.

What is the purpose of safety catches on brooches?

They provided safety against loosing your brooch! Saving blood, although noble, was a secondary consideration to protecting a valuable piece of jewelry. Early safety catches, like tube hinges, are hand made. Generally, the same person who made the brooch also made the early safety catches.

What is a brooch and how to wear it?

Most often attached with a rotating pin clasp, brooches were once used to hold clothing together, but nowadays most people wear a brooch simply as a decorative accessory. Are Pins the Same as Brooches?

How to keep a brooch from falling off?

How to keep a brooch from falling off... All brooch lovers know that we risk losing our favourite pieces every time we pin them on and head to work or play. It is a chance we are willing to take in order to create our own unique style. Most pins pre-1950s have a simple C-clasp that is only secure if the pin is pressed gently against the hook.

Can old brooches be repaired?

Many pins of this period may also extend that same distance beyond the edge of the brooch itself (Fig. 18). Keep in mind that non-original fasteners like modern safety catches may have been added to genuinely old brooches as legitimate repairs.