the.com/brooch
jewelry that doubles as armor, holding both your cloak and your secrets shut.
means A decorative pin or clasp fastened to clothing, both for ornament and to hold fabric in place.
from From Old French 'broche,' meaning a pointed weapon, spit, or skewer — the same word that gives us 'broach' (to pierce, or to open a subject). At heart a brooch is simply a sharp spike for pinning cloth; over time the English spelling split, leaving 'brooch' for the jewel and 'broach' for the act of piercing. The ultimate root is Latin 'broccus,' meaning projecting or pointed, likely once describing a jutting tooth.
- ancient origin
- Bronze Age clasps predate buttons by millennia
- diplomatic weapon
- Madeleine Albright signaled foreign policy through pin choices
- mourning code
- Victorians wove dead loved ones' hair inside
- royal armor
- The Queen's brooches outsigned half her speeches
- etymology
- Shares roots with broach, meaning to pierce
hope diamond brooch — 45.52-carat blue diamond owned by the smithsonian institution, displayed since 1958
koh-i-noor brooch — 105.6-carat diamond brooch worn by queen mary, part of british crown jewels
cartier panther brooch — iconic jeweled brooch created in 1948, favored by barbara hutton and elizabeth taylor