If you had to choose between a Brooch and a pendant necklace, what would you choose? Would you rather wear a statement brooch or a statement necklace? Or would you wear a pendant brooch aka a Brooch cum pendant necklace? What are the points that you will keep in mind while choosing?
I had these questions and more swimming in my head as I was working on the handpicked collection. I own about 3 brooches that I bought and a few more (textile) ones that I made. Out of the three, I bought two in Europe. In comparison, I own a lot of necklaces, with and without pendants, and wear them regularly. I have made around 2000 necklaces but only around 50 brooches for sale, a majority of which were for “Jewelry in Narratives” and “Handpicked” both for NYCJW. I hope you can see the huge difference in numbers.
Should I make a Brooch or a pendant necklace?
Once I considered making wooden brooches for Handpicked, I was really confused. I did not know whether a particular design would look better as a pendant or as a brooch. Not knowing who will wear it and how it will be worn added to the confusion. It was then, it struck. This decision need not be mine. Some of the pieces could be both brooches as well as pendants and the decision to wear them as one or the other would depend on the wearer. All I had to do was to affix a brooch pin at the back, in a way that the piece looked right when pinned.
Viola! a solution to my problems. Further, this meant that I gave the freedom to the wearer to decide where they wanted to wear the pieces on their body. With a necklace, the length can be adjusted only to a particular length. However, if a pendant could be worn as a brooch then it could be worn at different heights, in various ways.
Brooch cum pendant necklace
The same brooch (depending on the size) could be worn at the side chest, center chest, at the center back, at the bicep, at the front waist off-center. It could be worn straight or diagonally. It could hold up a scarf, a shawl, or a dupatta or adorn a jacket. Brooches are easier to wear on jackets and coats as compared to necklaces. This sudden opening up of possibilities made me realise why brooches are really popular in the West. Furthermore, they can add colour, texture, or a point of emphasis to any item of clothing and elevate boring basics. The fashion designer in me went into overdrive thinking about all this. Then came the pin prick. If the brooch is so versatile, why isn’t it popular in India?
Brooches in India
This is a fascinatingly line of enquiry mainly because in India we still linger in the aftermath of (British) colonialism. Victorian morality and Victorian aesthetics are commonplace. We wear so many things as dictated by the English then. So why is that we do not wear brooches or pins as the English or the French wore? We do wear pins of allegiance or affiliation such as those indicating Rotary or Lions club membership. Similarly we wear school and college badges. However, the jewelled pins and brooches are rarely worn. Is it because that women in India rarely wear jackets. Does a brooch worn at the chest not have the same connotation of wealth as a necklace worn at the chest or higher? This maybe be one of the jewellery based questions that will send me down the rabbit hole, when I start my research.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please add them on the comments. Find a short history of brooches here.
I hope you find it interesting
Cheers
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