'All That Glitters' Week Four: Brooches

We've been enjoying the BBC2 jewellery talent show ‘All That Glitters’. The show follows a group of talented jewellers completing a variety of weekly challenges set to whittle the contestants down to one final winner.

We are taking a look each week at the styles of jewellery featured and highlight the skill and the craft required to make each design.

Last week, the jewellers created pearl necklaces. This week it is brooches.

Brooches

Week four, and there were only five jewellers left in the competition. The task this week was to create a statement brooch. The extra challenge was to incorporate some 'alternative' materials in with their precious sterling silver, such as wood, concrete, resin or coloured perspex.

Brooches were first used in a functional capacity to fasten or secure clothing. The earliest of brooches consisted of flint and bone, then during the Bronze Age brooches started to be handcrafted out of metal. The purely practical uses of brooches developed during the Middle Ages into becoming ornaments used for symbolism, adornment and decoration.

Nowadays, brooches are as popular as ever as a beautiful way to dress up an outfit. A simple silver brooch can really lift a plain jacket or jumper. More dramatic brooches can look fantastic as an interesting way to embellish a dress, or to hold a scarf in place.

Our Favourite Designs

Watching the creation of the jeweller's brooches, it was really interesting to see the combination of sterling silver with the alternative materials. David's colourful silver and perspex brooch was a lot of fun and very eye-catching, but our favourite was Piers' anchor brooch. The anchor shape was beautifully cast and the incorporation of the wood and rope really complimented the nautical design.

Piers' silver and wood anchor brooch

Get The Look

If you'd like to try a brooch to dress up a blazer or jacket collar, then take a look at our brooch selection here: Silver Brooches

Our silver twisted circle brooch features a brushed satin effect over the organic twisted circle shape. The brooch is modern and sleek and the perfect size for a jacket lapel.

Silver Twisted Circle Brooch

This beautiful brooch is modelled on the organic form of a twisting leaf. The brooch is finished with contrasting polished and frosted effects.

Silver Twisting Leaf Brooch

We are looking forward to the creations in Week 5. Make sure you keep an eye on our blog for our insight on the latest designs.