Victorian Butterfly Brooch
Early 20th Century Unknown Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Hematite, Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century Australian Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Brooches
Opal, Ruby, Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Silver
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Antique Early 1900s British Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Antique 1850s Unknown Brooches
Agate, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Brooches
Natural Pearl, 18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Victorian Brooches
14k Gold, Rose Gold
Antique Late 19th Century English Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Antique 1870s Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique 1880s Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Silver
Antique 1880s Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Brooches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 20th Century Russian Victorian Brooches
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Victorian Brooches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1890s Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Pearl, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Antique 1890s Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century European Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Enamel, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Art Nouveau Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Quartz, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Brooches
Stainless Steel
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Victorian Brooches
Agate, 9k Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century Unknown High Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Zircon, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver Plate
Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Brooches
Freshwater Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Opal, Ruby, Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century European Brooches
Crystal, Diamond, Emerald, Rock Crystal, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, 9k Gold
Antique 1870s Polish Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Brooches
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s Art Nouveau Brooches
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Garnet, Opal, Ruby, 14k Gold
Antique 1880s American Aesthetic Movement Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Silver
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique 1890s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire
Antique 1890s Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1890s Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, Silver, 18k Gold
Antique 1840s Unknown Early Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Antique 1880s British Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Gold, Silver
Antique Early 1900s Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, Silver
Antique 1860s English Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 9k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Brooches
18k Gold
Antique 1880s British Stud Earrings
Coral, White Diamond, 15k Gold
Antique 1880s Unknown Victorian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century American Victorian Brooches
Rock Crystal, Ruby, 14k Gold
Antique 1870s British Victorian Brooches
Agate, Sterling Silver
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Brooches
Antique Early 1900s British Victorian Brooches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1880s Unknown Victorian Brooches
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Unknown Brooches
White Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Opal, White Gold, Yellow Go...
Early 20th Century Unknown Late Victorian Brooches
Silver, Enamel
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century British Late Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Silver
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Victorian Butterfly Brooch For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Victorian Butterfly Brooch?
A Close Look at Victorian Jewelry
The reign of Queen Victoria encapsulates a quickly evolving period of history — and jewelry styles were no exception. No single period has seen such a diverse group of jewelry attributed to it than the Victorian era. Today, there is a vast collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry and watches on 1stDibs.
Victorian jewelry is named after Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837 to 1901, making her the second longest-ruling monarch. (She was surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015.) During this time, different styles of fashion and jewelry came and went. Thanks to our fascination with royalty and swoon-worthy melodramas like Netflix’s The Crown — which is rife with evocative fashion, jewelry and interiors — and the 2017 feature film Victoria Abdul, we are all familiar with her story. After the death of Victoria’s father and three childless uncles, she ascended to the throne at age 18. In 1840, Queen Victoria married the love of her life, her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Queen Victoria loved serpentine jewels, and she had even more power to shape trends than Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle do today. The British monarch’s best-known piece in this mold is the gold coiled-snake engagement ring she received from Prince Albert — the sinuous reptile was considered a symbol of everlasting love.
The Queen's 63-year reign has been divided by historians into the Romantic period, the early happy years, circa 1837–60; the Grand period, marked by the deaths of the Queen’s mother and husband, circa 1860–80; and the late Victorian or Aesthetic period, which lasted from about 1880 until 1901 and ushered in the Belle Époque. Queen Victoria wore her heart on her sleeve, and her fashion and jewelry reflected her emotions.
Romantic period jewelry, which featured common decorative motifs and was embellished with seed pearls, coral and turquoise, was a celebration of the young monarch’s love. Everything changed with the death of Prince Albert, and the Grand period is most often associated with mourning jewelry. Jewelry was smaller, lighter and more dainty during the late Victorian period. During this era, diamonds came into fashion, and semiprecious gems such as amethysts and opals became prevalent, too. Using gemstones for their natural beauty and not their worth was something that jewelers of the era felt passionate about, and this ideology would really become relevant in Art Nouveau jewelry.
Find a collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry — from rings, necklaces and brooches to a range of other accessories — on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Brooches for You
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.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021As the name suggests, mourning jewelry represents connection to a deceased individual or loved one. In the Victorian era, people were expected to wear mourning clothing and accessories following the death of a loved one. As brooches were popular during the Victorian period, they became a favorite for those who wanted to memorialize the dead. Find a collection of vintage and antique brooches on 1stDibs today.