Antique & Vintage Gold Brooches

Gold brooches, antique and vintage: Victorian bar brooches and love knots in 15KT and 18KT gold, gem-set flowers and insects, Etruscan revival pieces worked in fine granulation, and the sculptural gold sprays and animal brooches of the mid-century. Antique gold brooches, known in the US as antique gold pins, are among the easiest antique jewels to wear today, and many convert to pendants. See our Victorian brooches or all antique brooches.

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Questions

How can you tell if a brooch is real gold?

Look on the back or the pin for a stamp such as 9CT, 15CT, 18CT, 375, 625 or 750, or a full hallmark. Without a mark, a jeweller confirms the gold with an XRF reading or an acid test. Rolled gold is often stamped RG.

Where is the gold stamp on a brooch?

Usually on the back of the brooch, on the pin stem, on the hinge or near the catch. On small pieces the mark can be very faint, so use a loupe.

What is the difference between 9KT and 18KT gold?

9KT is 37.5% gold, mixed with harder metals, so it is durable and paler. 18KT is 75% gold, richer in colour and softer. Both are solid gold; the number is the proportion of pure gold.

Is 15KT gold real gold?

Yes. 15KT is 62.5% pure gold, and was a legal British standard from 1854 to 1932. It is common in Victorian and Edwardian jewellery and is a useful dating clue.