Earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are must-have accessories for holiday style, and a brooch tops off any blouse, blazer, sweater, or coat.  

When evaluating holiday brooches, there are some aspects of the popular keepsakes that should not be overlooked. Gemstones, like rubies and emeralds, are often the choice of the season because of their red and green colors.

Precious metals, like silver, are popular during the winter holidays. It’s true that if it’s good enough for the bells, then it’s good enough for the bling.

Of course, gold jewelry pieces — including rose gold, yellow gold, or white gold — are always in fashion. These pretty and precious metals are the basis for any good-looking brooch.

Settings

When choosing a holiday brooch, the importance of a brooch’s setting is important. Look for classic settings like wreaths, circles, or natural forms, such as poinsettias, holly, evergreen trees, etc.

Prongs are a quality indicator for both fine and costume jewelry brooches. Remember, the more prongs on a brooch to hold a gemstone or faux gemstone in place, the better. Most faceted-cut gemstones are set with at least four prongs; it is better to have six or more. Prongs should be curved and tightly secured to the gemstone on a brooch.

Like prongs, which come in various types, pinback clasps come in a variety of types too. Some typical pinback clasps are c-clasps resembling the letter “C,” trombone clasps, barrel clasps, and rotating clasps. All are made to secure a fancy brooch to any garment.

Styles

For holiday brooches, prevalent styles are those that resemble wreaths, candles, or winter-themed objects like sleighs, snowmen, or snowflakes. Figural brooches of Santa Claus, elves, reindeer, Hanukkah menorahs, dreidels, and other seasonal objects are popular.

Collectors know that brooches are making a big comeback on the vintage fashion scene. Today’s holiday fashion demands that a bigger vintage brooch is a better brooch. These big brooches, called statement brooches, command high values on the market.

Vintage brooches from the mid-1900s to the end of the 20^th century enjoy a very active resale market online on platforms like eBay, Etsy, Thrilling, and Poshmark, among others.

Gemstones

The most popular gemstones or faux gemstones used in holiday brooches are red and green stones. Red stones, such as garnets and rubies, and green stones, like emeralds, peridots, and jades, highlight the holiday color scheme. These color pairs attract the eye using color theory: red and green are complementary colors that stimulate the optic nerve and attract one’s eyes to the color pair.

Colorless or white gemstones, such as pearls, crystals, rhinestones, and diamonds, are used by holiday jewelry designers to recall a wintry mood suggestive of white snow, crystals, or angels’ sparkling wings.

Blue topaz and aquamarines are often paired with pearls in holiday brooches to conjure the feeling of the season’s cold and icy wintery weather, too.

In addition to these precious gems, faux gemstones are integrated into holiday brooch design, like blue Austrian crystals or carved cabochon stones such as carnelian, chalcedony, and aventurine.

When it comes to fine jewelry, look for high-quality materials, gemstones, and stunning modern designs by some of the most impressive designers like David Yurman, Chanel, Cartier, etc.

For vintage costume or faux jewelry collectors, brooches by Hattie Carnegie, Miriam Haskell, Ben Amun, Trifari, and Eisenberg have good value and strong market interest.

Happy holidays.

Dr. Lori Verderame is a Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning media personality. Dr. Lori appears on Netflix’s King of Collectibles and History channel’s Pawn Stars Do America and The Curse of Oak Island. She presents her live stage show, Dr. Lori’s Antiques Appraisal Comedy Tour, at venues nationwide. See youtube.com/drloriv and drloriv.com or call (888) 431-1010.