The culture and history of the brooch

As Steele said, "Object based research provides unique insights into the historic and aesthetic developments of fashion" By utilizing the object analysis methodology, we can explore a unique insight behind the object, internal historic and aesthetic significance of an object. The passage will analyze the object followed by three parts which is description, deduction and speculation.

      The object I chose is a brooch which looks like a rose with a pearl and two gems embedded on it. The whole brooch is gold-plating and the breast pin is superior in material and excellent in workmanship. There are many fine point adorning on the petal of the rose. Besides, there are many straight carving lines indicating the appearance of leaf .

      A brooch is a kind of jewelry item which is attached to clothes considered as decorative brooch. It is usually made of metal, embedded with pearl, gem, enamel and so on. It can be purely for decorating or fastening clothes, for example, robes, cloaks and scarf. The type of brooch integrates various custom interests and fashion elements. The common ones are orchid, diamond ring, elliptical, fan-shaped butterfly-shaped and so on

     The brooch can date back to the Bronze Age, its formal change can help determine the age of historic relics in archaeology. Female usually adorned with brooch in contemporary age. It can be attached on the shoulder, hat and hair. Its design is more unrestrained and its adornment is more attracting since it is relatively large jewelry.

     Brooch is made of silver in the majority, other materials will be ivory, topaz, white jade, glaze, enamel, coral and so on. The production process can be easy or complicated depending on the specific craft. Mounting is one of the major steps of the process, like diamond, agate and so on ( Fan Zhang, 2014 )Also, carving and filigree are common arts and crafts for designing brooches. Brooch is not too big in general case, the smallest one can only be like the button size.

     Brooch is widely accepted by teenagers who is chasing fashion at that time. What is more, it is female`s favorite things too. While dressing appropriately, a brooch which matches the color, modeling and clothes can not only give other a fashion touch but also present the charm and beauty of a woman.

     Also wearing brooch is an important manner in most of western countries. However it was spread to China until the marine trade was opened to the outside world in the Ming dynasty. Allegedly, Chiang Kai Shek, who was President of the Republic of China at that time, wore a rosebud shaped brooch in his wedding in Shanghai with his wife, Song Meiling in 1927. And it was really attractive at that time. Although brooch used to be popular to wear in wedding or proposal, it can be used in many other formal scenarios nowadays. The idea of using pins as a diplomatic tool is not found in any State Department manual or in any text chronicling American foreign policy. Known for her famous collection of brooches,former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright used her pins to send a subtle message to the heads of state she visited since she was ambassador at U.N. 

So when does the brooch originate from? In ancient Europe, when the brooch was invented, it was exclusively belong to the male warriors. They Used these pin shaped stuffs to fasten their robes so that they can express the impressive and dignified manner of warriors. When it came to the Greece and Rome times, brooch was a specialized jewelry for the knight or king. Although it might be embedded with gorgeous jewels, the real function for brooch is to fasten the cloak under the fluttering of wind until that time. While at the same time, women used simple ropes to fasten their cape or cloak .

Until the dawn of civilization penetrated the darkness of Middle Ages, Italian women started wearing various colorful brooches to dress up themselves. However, when the aristocrats and nobles noticed that the plain rosebud cannot set off the gorgeous longuette made with oriental silk, they began to use the ornaments with gems and gold to match up the noble of these magic fabrics. From then on, brooch became the decoration to express the charm an beauty of female. The most important significance of jewelry is to convey emotion and brooch can express this euphemistic desire very well. It has a small surface which can be drew or enchased. Any kind of traditional art style can reflect on this small place. For example, the most famous honeymoon brooch in Europe is combined with honeysuckle, honey and crescent together, whose composition is exquisite and sweet. Also it has been regarded as the language of brooch by the jewelry masters. Stefan Zweig, an Austrian writer, wrote on his first  novel “Die Liebe der Erika Ewald”, brooch is an emblem more than an adornment for women, since it is the only decoration which doesn`t contact to women`s skin among all the others. Even if you are noble as queen, you have to bow your head humbly when you are wearing the brooch. When you wear the brooch, a moment of dizziness comes over to you, because you could see yourself from your heart.

The reason that I prefer the brooch is very simple. No matter how complicated it is, the brooch on the fabric won`t give us a feeling of burden. It won`t be heavy as necklaces and bound as rings. It just intersperses on your clothes light and handy. And its independence and significance are exactly the most skilled emotion expression for modern women. It isn`t an icy metal, it will speak and laugh, raise the internal story to a higher level and agitate the inspiration from oppression just like the shining star lithts in the dark sky.

Texture and performance of brooch with gem, enamel or other jewelry beyond your comprehension about common brooch. The antique finishing style or the delicate 360 degree`s gilt design will make you feel like wearing an artwork instead of a common brooch. No matter for man or woman, the brooch can make you dazzled with various styles. The rosebud shape is the classic profile for brooch.

By using the methodology provided by Jules Prown in the whole research process, it explores the internal historic and aesthetic significance of the brooch. At first, description of the essential features of the brooch records the internal evidence of the brooch itself; the through the gradually deduction, it interprets the interaction between the brooch and the society along the history; at last speculation frames the hypotheses and questions and new understandings about the brooch is evident. Along the time passed, brooch is evolving. It is no longer a simple pin which is to fix the clothes for male warrior only, it now can show that people who wears it has a deep cultural foundation. Also, brooch has changed its original function and added more artistic values and aesthetic significances to it. It can be an artwork more than an adornment nowadays . A good brooch design is an artwork which contains designer`s artistic concept and endows with vitality.