Antique Topaz Brooch

The word “topaz” comes from Topazios, the Greek name for St. James Island on the Red Sea (presently known as Zabargad). And even though the Greeks believed that topaz protected the wearer and gave them strength, we unfortunately cannot promise that your antique and vintage topaz jewelry will give you any superhuman abilities.

Beloved by royalty, topazes were once believed to possess special powers for curing diseases and breaking magical spells. While they may not have supernatural properties, these autumnal gems are enchanting just the same.

It’s appropriate that as the temperatures cool and the leaves turn yellow, the birthstone for November is a gem found in autumnal hues. The deep browns, reds and oranges of the topaz, a stone once believed to have the power to cure fevers, is perfect for this time of year. In fact, the palette has also inspired a second birthstone for the month: citrine, which is less expensive and easier to find. Truth be told, topazes can be found in a wide variety of colors (which can get confusing since the blue topaz, along with turquoise, is a birthstone for the month of December), but it’s nice to wax poetic about the season.

The topaz can be blue, green, yellow, pink, purple and red. The colors of this allochromatic stone result from impurities in its crystal structure and are not part of its chemical composition, which is aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide. The true color of topaz is no color at all. Isn’t it fascinating that a stone that can come in a variety of colors is colorless in its purest form?

Find a range of vintage and antique topaz rings, topaz necklaces and other accessories on 1stDibs.

Vintage brooches, which refer to decorative jewelry traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.

While jewelry trends come and go, brooches are indeed back on the radar thanks to fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, Dior and Saint Laurent, all of which feature fun pinnable designs in their current collections. Whether a dazzlingly naturalistic Art Nouveau dragonfly, a whimsical David Webb animal, a gem-studded bloom or a streamlined abstract design, these jewels add color and sparkle to your look and a spring to your step. 

Given their long history, brooches have expectedly taken on a variety of different shapes and forms over time, with jewelers turning to assorted methods of ornamentation for these accessories, including enameling and the integration of pearls and gemstones. Cameo brooches that originated during the Victorian age are characterized by a shell carved in raised relief that feature portraits of a woman’s profile, while 19th-century micromosaic brooches, comprising innumerable individually placed glass fragments, sometimes feature miniature depictions of a pastoral scene in daily Roman life.

At one time, brooches were symbols of wealth, made primarily from the finest metals and showcasing exquisite precious gemstones. Today, these jewels are inclusive and universal, and you don’t have to travel very far to find an admirer of brooches. They can be richly geometric in form, such as the ornate diamond pins dating from the Art Deco era, or designer-specific, such as the celebrated naturalistic works created by Tiffany Co., the milk glass and gold confections crafted by Trifari or handmade vintage Chanel brooches of silk or laminated sheer fabric. Chanel, of course, has never abandoned this style, producing gorgeously baroque CC examples since the 1980s.

Brooches are versatile and adaptable. These decorative accessories can be worn in your hair, on hats, scarves and on the lower point of V-neck clothing. Pin a dazzling brooch to the lapel of your blazer-and-tee combo or add a cluster of smaller pins to your overcoat. And while brooches have their place in “mourning jewelry,” in that a mourning brooch is representative of your connection to a lost loved one, they’re widely seen as romantic and symbolic of love, so much so that a hardcore brooch enthusiast might advocate for brooches to be worn over the heart.

Today, find a wide variety of antique and vintage brooches for sale on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.