Imperial Brooch

Find the exact imperial brooch you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from Gold, Yellow Gold and 18k Gold — can elevate any look. In our selection of items, you can find a vintage example as well as a contemporary version. You’re likely to find the perfect imperial brooch among the distinctive items we have available, which includes versions made as long ago as the 18th Century as well as those produced as recently as the 21st Century. Finding an appealing imperial brooch — no matter the origin — is easy, but BOLIN and David Webb each produced a popular version that is worth a look. An imperial brooch can be a stylish choice for most occasions, but Diamond rings, from our inventory of 8, can add a particularly distinctive touch to your look, day or night. See these pages for an oval cut iteration of this accessory, while there are also rough cut cut and antique cushion cut cut versions available here, too. Finding an imperial brooch for sale for women should be easy, but there are 10 pieces available to browse for unisex as well as men, too.

Prices for an imperial brooch can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, these accessories begin at $680 and can go as high as $148,500, while this accessory, on average, fetches $9,500.

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.