Hammerman Turtle Brooch

Vintage Hammerman Brothers jewelry is a visual feast. Whether modern or retro in style, the pieces created by this fine American jewelry house include everything from audacious cocktail rings in yellow gold to expressive animal brooches set with diamonds and rubies. A member of the Hammerman family oversees the production of every piece, and each accessory is stamped with the Hammerman Brothers maker's mark.

The Hammerman Brothers company traces its history back to the 1780s when a young man left Eastern Europe to become a watchmaker. Fast-forward to the 1930s in New York City: three of his descendants — brothers Benjamin, Bernard and Hyman Hammerman — found themselves working on Bowery Street, then a prominent hub for American diamond jewelry. After serving in the army in World War II, the brothers opened their own fine watch and jewelry company in 1946.

The company's breakthrough design came in the 1950s when Benjamin Hammerman created a line of women's bracelets that incorporated a watch. Decorative watches are considered by some to be among the world’s most versatile accessories, and the goal at the Hammerman firm was to elevate a simple, everyday necessity into a piece of fine jewelry, and it worked. Over the subsequent decade, Hammerman Brothers created numerous bracelet watches, and during the 1960s, the company designed gold bracelet watches for the Accutron. Developed by American watchmaker Bulova, the Accutron was the world's first watch that made use of a tuning fork to keep accurate time. 

The Hammerman Brothers brand has only continued to grow in fame and prestige. The company’s jewelry is in high demand at auctions, and vintage Hammerman Brothers rings are frequently sought after as wedding bands. The company is still family-run, with a store located in New York City.

On 1stDibs, find Hammerman Brothers necklaces, rings, brooches and more.

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.