Early brooches, known as fibula, worked like giant safety pins and were typically worn on the right shoulder to fasten heavy draped cloaks or tunics. Often highly ornate, the fibula was used to reflect the wearer’s status and wealth. The ancient Greeks elaborately decorated theirs along the catch plate with ducks, lions and sphinxes, while in 7th-century Persia, fastenings were crafted in the shape of human hands. The Etruscans were fond of fibulae too, some of which were adorned with elaborate processions of animals in relief.

The brooch makes a triumphant example of how articles of use become objets d’art, particularly as clothes became fitted rather than draped and brooches were made largely redundant. These fine jewels adorn lapels with climbing pearls and diamond blooms, each a tiny piece of wearable art. Each one punches a little hole in history, and marks a celebration of both grandma’s jewellery box and our more ancient ancestors. ◉