the.com/brooch pin
A weaponized accessory that's pinned down empires, plagues, and grandmothers' cardigans alike.
means The sharp metal fastening pin on the back of a brooch, which pierces fabric and clasps shut to hold the decorative ornament in place.
from "Brooch" and "broach" are the same word wearing different hats — both descend from Old French "broche," meaning a pointed instrument or spit, which traces back to Latin "brocca," a spike or projecting tooth. The piercing sense came first; the jewelry sense is the spike dressed up for company. "Pin" is much older and plainer, from Old English "pinn," a peg or bolt, possibly borrowed from Latin "pinna," a point or feather. So "brooch pin" is essentially "spike-spike" — a point named twice, which feels about right for something so committed to puncturing.
- bronze age
- Fibula pins fastened togas 3,000 years ago
- royal armor
- Queens hid daggers behind decorative court brooches
- mourning craft
- Victorians wove dead relatives' hair into them
- safety pin kin
- The humble safety pin descends from the fibula
cartier panther brooch — iconic jeweled brooch featuring a panther, created in 1914 and worn by the duchess of windsor
tiffany dragonfly brooch — art nouveau style brooch designed by tiffany & co. in the 1890s, featuring gemstones and enamel
faberge imperial eggs brooches — elaborate russian imperial brooches created by carl fabergé for the romanov family in the late 1800s