The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

biteaccessoriesshion Designer Profile D uring the Celtic and Vikings eras, brooches were used as cloak fasteners to secure pieces of clothing. The first Celtic brooches were seen in the Early Medieval Period in Ireland and Britain such as the early 10th century silver Celtic penannular brooch with a ball-shaped pin-head discovered in Cumbria, England. The Vikings loved jewellery and would wear rings, brooches, bracelets and necklaces to show off their status. Men wore a single brooch on their right shoulder and women wore theirs on either shoulder. Although mourning jewellery first appeared in the 16th centu- ry, it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that the brooch became a symbol to commemorate loved ones who had passed away. These navette and oval-shaped brooches like Zestful Vintage’s sepia miniature mourning brooch in rose gold and mounted on ivory depict scenes of sorrow. They often incor- porated hair and seed pearls - a representation of tears, and were inscribed with the name, date of birth and death of the deceased on the back. Another widely recognised mourning brooch like Vivien’s Treasure Wonderland’s Victorian 15-carat gold with seed pearls contained the hair of a lost loved one that was woven under crystal or glass, with designs that represented eternity and stones to symbolise loss and tears. Queen Victoria’s two- decade-long mourning of Prince Albert saw hair brooches and the black jewellery of Whitby Jet, vulcanite and other black fabricated and natural stones provide the materials for brooch- es in various sentimental motifs. Feather-shaped and set with flat-cut garnets or diamonds in silver or silver-topped gold, Aigrette brooches were at the height of fashion from the 17th to the 20th centuries. These detailed brooches, often designed with images of tiny birds flying around the plume, like the silver-gilt and flat-cut garnet aigrette from antique jewellery store Kunsthandel Inez Stodel in Amsterdam, are worn in the hair and normally attached to a diadem. Inspired by geometric shapes, art and design, British designer Monique Thomas established Be The Other, a handcrafted jewellery label that focuses on design-led brooches to enhance and reflect one’s style. Since the above-mentioned brooches and others like them are regarded as timeless and sentimental, Be The Other sees stylishly designed brooches as the reflection of our creative and individual expressions. Each piece is a work of art that empowers, uplifts and creates balance in its wearer. A graphic designer by profession, Monique’s love for design, art and creativity has provided her with the right skills, creative thinking and design approach to be a jewellery designer for the past 18 months. “This includes sketching, taking inspiration Cristina Lloyd delves into the history of the brooch and jewellery designer Monique Thomas’ desire to bring the brooch back through her brand Be The Other. Bringing The Brooch Back Image courtesy of Monique Thomas

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