To broach a cask of ale is to set the liquor flowing, to open the gates of good will; but the broach (and it’s still pronounced that way even when we spell it brooch) had as its purpose the closing and the holding together of the dress. In its simplest form it was an awl or a bodkin, used as a clasp or a fastener. Then came the pin with a hinge or spring at one end and a catch or loop at the other. Such safety-pin brooches, or fibulae, were common in ancient times; they were in use at least as far back as 1000 B.C., and since the third century B.C. have been developed as decorative jewels. The simple type—in the large size we call it a “blanket pin”—is still used to hold together the wrap-around Scots kilt, preserving the secret beneath.
Elaborate Pins
In medieval England the making of brooches developed as a fine art; in Kent from the sixth to the tenth century, excellent examples were made. They were mainly circulars of gold filigree adorned with garnets, though other materials, from meerschaum to paste, were also set in fine gold. However ornamental a brooch may be, it seldom quite forgets its practical function of holding a garment together. Maria Theresa of Austria, on state occasions, used an agraffe—a hook that caught in a ring, as a clasp—in which was set the Florentine diamond, a great yellow stone of over 137 carats. This was preserved in the Hofburg in Vienna until the Second World War. Even more elaborate were the great brooches the noblewomen of England wore in the decorative reign of Edward VII. Sometimes called stomachers, these masses of metal overladen with stones occupied the entire front of the dress.
The Simpler Clip
Fashion has returned us to a simpler style and released the dress decoration from its functional requirement. In the 1920’s Cartier replaced the hinged pin with a metal plate operated by a spring so that counterpoints on its tip bite into the fabric. A jewel so fashioned we call a clip. More recently, the metal plate has been replaced by two parallel pins, making the clip still lighter and more versatile. Where the weightier brooch would seem unbalanced or topheavy, the new clip may be used as a pert or pertinent addition to a garment.
Its Versatility
And the clip is the most versatile of all jewels. Like the older brooch, it may be used to close a dress, to hold a collar together or to gather a scarf into attractive folds. It may be placed so as to accentuate any desired part of a gown: at any point along a neckline, on a lapel, at the side of a dress—usually the left side or at the waistline. It may be combined with a necklace, as a fresh centerpiece or on the side—though of course a large clip should not be set upon a thin chain. Some clips are fashioned to slip onto a necklace and, by an easy adjustment, can be made to slip onto a band of platinum or fitted on a diamond or pearl necklace.
29. MRS. FREDERIC GIMBEL. Mrs. Gimbel wears an ensemble of gold, turquoise and diamond earclips, bracelets and ring. The turquoises are selected to compliment her coloring and the distinctive quality of her beauty.
30. BELLFLOWER BROOCH AND EARCLIPS. These pearl and diamond jewels are designed so that the free-swinging pearls are in constant movement. For different occasions and outfits, colored stones or diamond drops may be substituted for the pearls.
31. BRACELET AND ENGAGEMENT RING. The simplicity of the ring, an emerald-cut diamond flanked by two straight baguettes, complements the elaborateness of the bracelet. The main swirl motif of baguette and round diamonds is an excellent design for slimming a heavy wrist. The center of the bracelet is removable and can be worn as a clip on a necklace.
32. DESIGN FOR A DIAMOND RING. The lacy effect of the ring at the left is achieved by a circle of marquise-cut diamonds which appear to hold the round center diamond.
33. DESIGN FOR A GOLD RING. This ring of gold wires is set with emeralds and small diamonds.
34. DESIGN FOR A FORMAL DIAMOND AND PLATINUM BRACELET. A large marquise diamond links the two central crown motifs on each side of which are two baguette ribbons.
35. DIAMOND AND PEARL BRACELET. This four-strand pearl bracelet has, as a handsome center design, three columns of round diamonds interrupted by baguettes and four columns paved with round diamonds. From the collection of Mrs. Alfred L. Rose.
36. DESIGN FOR A BRACELET. A beautiful convertible jewel, this continuous ribbon of baguette diamonds has three removable flower motifs which can be worn as a set of pin and earclips or three clips. One small flower motif forms the clasp.
37. TREE OF LIFE. A sculptured relief in 18 karat gold. The fruits of the tree are here reproduced in round, facetted rubies, and would be as effective in emeralds, sapphires or diamonds. As lapel pins, they are handsome in pairs, the fruits in contrasting colors.
38. DESIGN FOR A MULTI-PURPOSE JEWEL. The detachable center motif of this diamond bracelet can be worn as a clip either separately or on the necklace formed by the side loops of the bracelet.
39. AURORA BOREALIS. The image of three overlapping sunbursts, left, is created from platinum and diamonds, with rubies accentuating the contour. Original owned by Mrs. Mischa Elman.
40. FLOWER FANTASY. An exquisite flower on a graceful stem is wrought in platinum set with pearls and diamonds. A companion piece for small diamond earclips.
41. DIAMOND HAIR ORNAMENT. Designed both as a dress clip and a hair clip, the shape of this jewel suggests a wave in the hair. A special device attaches it firmly to the hair.
42. THREE-STRAND PEARL BRACELET. A superb example of a perfectly balanced relationship between clasp and bracelet. The functional purpose of the clasp, which is slightly wider than the bracelet, is hidden under the diamond ornament. A matching necklace could have two of the same motifs on each side.
43. MISS BLANCHE THEBOM. Diamond jewelry provides shimmering contrasts to Blanche Thebom’s dark brown hair. Van Cleef & Arpels created the diamond serpent hair clips, dome ring and graceful bow pin, as well as the bracelet and earclips worn by Miss Thebom.
44. CANTERBURY BELL. Two flowers of different sizes are held together by ribbons of diamonds. A three-dimensional effect is achieved by the built-up flower motifs. This clip can be separated into two individual clips.
45. GOLD SHELL FOR INFORMAL WEAR. This three-dimensional jewel of 18 karat gold is hand engraved in Florentine finish. The turned over edge is paved with diamonds.
46. FLOWER LAPEL BROOCH. Long stemmed flowers of emeralds, sapphires, rubies and diamonds in a bowl of 18 karat gold. A delightful ornament for a bag, a hat or a scarf.
47. MRS. TEX MC CRARY. A poinsettia of diamonds without visible support is worn by Jinx Falkenburg. As a whimsical touch, she adds a diamond and emerald bell on her forehead. The design of her flower-like earclips emphasizes the perfect oval of her face.
When a corsage of flowers takes attention at the heart of the dress, the versatile clip may be transferred to the evening bag or worn at the cuff of a sleeve. It may be used in ways beyond number, limited only by the wearer’s chosen garments and tasteful imagination.
Its Personality
Since there is such freedom of choice in placing the clip, its position is largely determined by the wearer’s personality. In the choice of the clip itself, as I shall indicate shortly, there are only a few guiding principles, and these are of a general nature. As a consequence, a clip is a sort of identification badge. It says, not This is my name, but This is my style. It should be chosen carefully with full regard to the fact that the clip is the wearer’s personality on parade.
The Change in the Brooch
Until about 1920, while the brooch was mainly a clasp for the collar or a fastener for the dress, the favorite form was a bar pin. This might be of gold in various simple motifs, such as the bowknot; or it might be of precious stones or pearls. Other popular designs were the crescent-moon brooch, the circle brooch, the heart pin, and the four-leaf clover.
At that time, there was likely to be but one dark party dress in the wardrobe, and the laces and frills of the colorful gowns were beautiful and sufficient adornments in themselves. Times have changed, and in most closets cocktail and party dresses have multiplied. They have also grown streamlined and simpler so that clips, with earclips and necklace, may be added to give softness as well as variety to the outfit.
Whatever the dress—unless it passes the limits into eccentricity—the part of a woman’s outfit that attracts the most attention is her jewelry. However stunning the dress, however striking the bag, however happy the hat, eyes will return to and be held by the jewels—especially the jewel displayed upon the dress. And the “little black dress” created by Mme. Chanel is still the best background for a beautiful jewel. The simpler the dress, the more will the beauty of the clip be artfully displayed.
The Old Double Clip
With the expansion of the brooch into the clip came a greater variety of patterns. However, the bowknot continued popular, along with the fleur-de-lis and other flower designs. Many of these are still being used, with newly designed settings incorporating baguette diamonds and variously shaped stones. In the 1920’s there was a wide vogue of a flat, geometrical double clip. The two parts were symmetrical, so that their balance today seems obvious and without art.
It is interesting to reflect at this point that many older patterns, motifs, designs, still seem beautiful in our eyes. There is a charm in many of the Victorian jewels, a lasting beauty in the baroque. In the generation just before us, however, sculpture, architecture, interior decorating, jewelry, all seem to have suffered from a lapse of artistry and taste. Is this another sign of the eternal rebellion of the children against the parents? Must every past style seem antic before it becomes antique? In any event, the old two-part double clip should either be left in the treasure chest for another fifty years or taken to the jeweler to be remodelled.
The New Double Clip
The possibilities of the double clip, however, are too great to be abandoned. The flat symmetrical two-part clip has been supplanted by a more dynamic, three-dimensional variety which when used as a unit gives no indication that it is a double clip. The two separate clips are so made that they intricately but intimately conjoin into one unit, a striking jewel.
Separated, the two clips become two different jewels, of different sizes and possibly even different designs, though of course harmonious. Each remains a sculptured piece; that is, it has a three-dimensional quality. The two may be worn on different occasions. The smaller might well become a suit, the larger adorn a dress. Or the two, used at the same time but not fused, might make attractive parts of a parure on more formal occasions. On a square neckline, the two different clips may be so used as to create a different yet balanced charm. Or one may give a fresh touch to the hat, or grace the bag, while the other is worn on the dress. By repeating a design in two sizes, or presenting two harmonious motifs, the double clip increases the potentialities of the jewel for variety in beauty, while as a unit it creates a striking effect of individuality and power.
The Abstract Design
Today, in brooches and clips, two basic patterns are in favor: the ornamental, abstract design, and the flower motif. The woman who likes tailored jewelry will inevitably be drawn to the more geometrical designs. While these may at times be shapes of deep yellow or varicolored gold, they will usually be achieved with the aid of shimmering bands of baguette diamonds, contrasted with round diamonds and colored stones. Without regard to the loss of weight from uncut stone, jewelers are now shaping diamonds in many fancy cuts—which only the most flawless gems can sustain—for the sake of the pattern of the entire jewel.
The potentialities of the abstract design are far from being exhausted, and a jeweler who is a genuine artist has here a fertile field. If a woman has selected a jeweler as carefully as she has chosen her coiffeur, and finding him good has continued to seek his counsel, he should be able to suggest or to create a clip that will both express and illuminate her personality.
Several general designs lend themselves to personal variations. Among these, I recommend a clip with baguette tassels from which pear-shaped diamonds are suspended. There are also attractive tailored-looking pins of a feather design, which, in gold or platinum, are effective on many occasions. Various loops and bows can be ingeniously intertwined. Among completely abstract clip designs are some like lacy seaweeds. Others will suggest themselves and may be fashioned to suit every occasion and taste.
The Flower Design
Less novel than the abstract designs but perhaps more lasting in its effect of peaceful beauty is the flower clip. Since the development of photography, few artists have tried to make exact copies of nature. Those who wish to see exact reproductions of flowers in glass may go to the Harvard Museum in Cambridge. The artist in jewelry seeks to suggest the essence of the flower, its shape, its color, the softness of its petals. (An astute woman may select her perfume to suggest the flower’s fragrance.) Today even such hard metals as platinum or palladium may be so handled as to convey the delicacy of the bloom.
Earlier Flowers
The flower motif, in ring or brooch or other adornment, has been a favorite in many periods. Some of the designs have persisted; others have grown simpler or more elaborate according to the vogue. But in the past few centuries, there have been few jewelers who have not had in work or on display some flower brooches or clips of precious stones.
Among the frequently displayed flowers is the open-petaled pansy, which our grandmothers wore in various colors of enamel, but which is now patterned in stones. Also to be seen is the tiny forget-me-not. The lily of the valley rises on its delicate stem. The water lily seems almost still afloat. Carnations and asters more boldly flaunt their patterns. The daisy, that earlier was often fashioned with white enamel petals and a central stone, may now be suggested wholly by baguette diamonds.
More elaborate flowers and flower clusters were once frequent, building into nosegays of gems. Perhaps the most spectacular of these is the famous Flower Jewel bestowed by the Herzog von Lothringen upon his wife, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. Now to be seen in the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, this historic piece is both a fine example of the jeweler’s art and a demonstration for the science of gemology: among its thousands of carats of gems—diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearls—may be counted every existing variety of precious and semiprecious stones.
Current Varieties
A flower is to jewelers as a landscape is to painters; each may look upon the same prospect and produce a different work. Some may fashion a comparatively naturalistic blossom, or a clip of several flowers of different sizes. For these, colored stones will reproduce the color of the flower. Others may work in a more stylized fashion, merely suggesting the flower shape or framing it into a formal pattern, as in the decorations of ancient columns and walls. Some of these, indeed, approach the manner of the abstract design.
Where the flower is suggested rather than caught in its own colors, diamonds in fancy cut may be used for the petals with the leaves fashioned of baguettes. The center may be a blue-white diamond, a colored stone, or—most strikingly—a black pearl. Some such flowers have been made with a central stone that is removable, so that various gems of different color may produce startlingly different effects with the same basic floral jewel. From the surrounding petals and leaves of diamonds, it is surprising how varyingly new center stones can shine.
The Rose
The most outstanding of all flower motifs, both in number and in variety of presentation, is the queen of flowers, the rose. As it ranges far beyond all other flowers in colors and species, so it lends itself to a multiplicity of treatments in jewels. Roses have been made all of diamonds, white or colored; they have been shaped of rubies, of coral, of ivory and of all the precious metals. Notable is a rose clip in which the diamond blossom rises from leaves of baguettes. For simpler costumes, the leaves can be removed and the flower used alone to adorn a neckline or accentuate the lapel of a suit. Together, the leaves and the flower present a corsage that challenges and outlasts any beauty the florist can supply.
The Skinpin
Gathering favor, but still sufficiently unfamiliar to be as distinctive as it is attractive, is the skinpin. This ornament is a jewel that, by a secret method of my own devising, may be safely and securely worn on the bare skin. A piquant jewel, it belongs most harmoniously with the low-cut evening gown. Then, on the bare skin above the dress, the colored gems or the diamonds are a truly striking display, their brilliance heightened by the background of the fine texture of the flesh. For more challenging effects, a butterfly or other appropriate motif on the back or the shoulderblades will enhance and accentuate the beauty of the lines. Those who know and enjoy the values of fine jewelry tastefully disposed will do well to investigate the range of uses of the skinpin.
The Scatterpin
For the lapel, or in general for casual wear, many pins have been especially designed. These are frequently shaped in the form of birds, ladybugs, or other insects, as butterflies or as leaves. They may be made of enamel, or coral, or semiprecious stones. Their main purpose is to add a touch of color and for traveling or for informal occasions they may indeed enliven a costume.
The Jewelled Hairpin
A most charming effect can be produced by attaching to the clip a simple device that enables it to be worn in the hair. This use is gaining in popularity, and deserves even greater spread, for it is hard to imagine a more beautiful background for a jewel than the well groomed coiffure which is the pride and the prime natural adornment of the American woman. Several single flowers, daisies, forget-me-nots and the like, may in the hair create a youthful and feminine decoration. The jewels should of course be concordant with the hair. Diamonds are most becoming in dark hair. Red hair will be even more striking with sapphires; dark blondes will gleam with emeralds; light blondes will shimmer in fine contrast with rubies.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria knew the attractiveness gained by the adorning of beautiful hair. Her favorite design was the star, and in her hair she set many brilliant stars, each with a quivering center that constantly shot forth intriguing, mysterious light.
The Mobile Clip
The technical creation of the mobile center was long a well-guarded secret. It has now been variously recaptured, and clips may have their beauty enhanced, when it is appropriate, with a vibratory motion. The natural movements of the body, even the soft rise and fall of the bosom as one takes breath, suffice to make the tiny stems quiver and the gems at their tips give ever fresh play of light.
Thus a delicate wire may lift a deep red ruby as the stamen of a flower, alive in its motion and varying gleam. Or a diamond on a quivering stem may seem to dance with airiness and light. A spread of platinum angel-fern may move its delicate fronds; a sprig of heather in fine metal and stone vibrate with the lilt of the Highlands. The many ways in which the mobile clip can add life to one’s wardrobe are beyond enumeration; all are at once eye-catching and continuously alluring.
The Sentimental Brooch
More than all other jewels, the pin and the brooch have attached to themselves sentimental associations and values beyond their intrinsic or artistic worth. A ring may often preserve the memory of a dear person or a cherished occasion, but it is seldom large enough for an actual memento. Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII of England, had a portrait of herself hidden in a ring of diamonds and mother-of-pearl; when she was taken to be executed she gave the ring to her little daughter, who in turn kept it hidden until she ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth I. But more often such miniatures, set in what was called a picture-box, were worn on a chain or as a brooch. The clip is still too new to have developed these sentimental associations but, being merely a brooch with a modernized fastener, it will no doubt gather to itself a goodly store of memories.
In addition to a miniature portrait or a painting of a familiar scene, such as the country home of one held to a life in the city, the brooch may contain other ties to things beloved. Under a transparent stone or coat of colorless enamel may be pressed a lock of hair. The jewel itself may be shaped so as to symbolize a family—as a coat of arms; or a people—as the maple leaf worn by Queen Elizabeth II, a gift from and a symbol of the Commonwealth of Canada. The lady who launches a ship receives, from the builders or the owners, a diamond pin that is indeed, to her and those that come after her, a precious memento of a signal occasion.
Replicas of Pets
Popular among the special brooches with personal ties are those that represent or memorialize a beloved pet. I have made several portraits of dogs in gold and precious stones, worked so as not merely to resemble the features but in some degree to capture the individual characteristics of the animal. One of these I especially prize, as it evokes, to me and to my family and friends, my own and favorite dog.
In Vienna, our firm was once commissioned by the Emperor Franz Josef I to create a brooch bearing the likeness of one of his great beloved Lippizaner stallions, the one that is immortalized in the novel Florian. This pin contains hundreds of diamonds; those that make up the mane and the tail had to be specially cut and are so small that it takes more than a thousand to make a carat. The Emperor prized the jewel and gave it to his favorite actress, the Baroness von Schratt. After the Baroness’s death, her treasures were sold, and we are happy to state that the jewel horse is now back with the firm that made it.
Pins Hold Memories
Perhaps because of these various associations, it seems that a more personal aura glows about a brooch than any other jewel. It may be merely because a loved one has worn it earlier. A sort of intimate, binding emotion draws one to the jewel, such as no article of clothing, no accessory—scarf, gloves, hair band—can ever work into a spell. Other jewels, especially the ring, may gather associations around them, but preeminently heart-entangling is the brooch.
My grandmother, for instance, on many gay occasions when I was a child, wore high on her collar a beautiful emerald brooch. Long passed from sight and never spoken of, it finally came to me as a family heirloom. And at once my heart quickened with a fresh surge of memory. I had, and still have, a vivid recollection of how she looked when she was wearing it, and many a pleasant time I summon back. I cherish this brooch more and more along the passing years. Thus in many families a treasured and memoried pin holds as a binder between the generations. In these days of widely scattered families, such a brooch can indeed be an endearing tie.
Practical Principles
As I have said, there are just a few general thoughts to be kept in mind when selecting a brooch or clip.
The gold clip is admirable for daytime use. Until a few years ago, this might be quite a solid, heavy-looking jewel. Today it is light, even lacy; often it is made of fine wires, perhaps twisted or stranded, and intricately worked, like similar jewels of the Renaissance. The jewel itself may be large, but the light and lacy effect will maintain its charm.
When a clip, in the hair or on the dress, is worn with earclips, it need not be the same as these, but it should be of the same material and of course should harmonize. Usually the earclips set the pattern, because they must be carefully chosen to fit the features; the greater freedom of choice with the clip permits one to select many attractive designs that will conform. If the earclips are of rubies or of emeralds, the clip should be the same. Only the diamond will consort with any other stone.
So far as balancing the brooch to the build is concerned, the principles are very simple. A woman with a heavy figure should avoid small and delicate clips and select large ornamental designs. A woman of slighter frame should wear small clips. A brooch pinned high on the bodice will seem to give the wearer added height.
More than other jewels, the clip presents the personality. It challenges the attention and invites the judgment. If it is well chosen, so that it truly establishes the wearer’s nature and taste, it may be worn with confidence and pride.