The brooch that you can see pinned on the dresses of some of the more fashionable people around is actually an old form of decorative textile jewellery. Based on some records that are available, the brooch’s ancestor was the fibula that was a popular textile jewellery worn during the ancient times. This garment item served primarily a decorative accent that is attached on the garments. At the center of the design and the construction of the decorative brooch is a choice metal. The most popular precious metals that are used on these decorative textile jewellery pieces include silver and gold, though at times bronze may be used as well. Often these pieces are finished with the use of enamel and certain gemstones.

Brooches of old and the current brooches that are available in the market right now do two functions. As mentioned these textile jewellery pieces are decorative in nature that can be added on the dresses in order to bring out a new style and attitude for the user. Brooches can be functional as well rather than accents used simply for aesthetics consideration. These pieces can act as fasteners and can be used on cloaks and other large clothing.

The Romans of old made use of these pieces as both an ornamental accent and a functional accent. These pieces are quite similar to the safety pins, but its main difference is the fact that these come in better styles and used a variety of precious stones. When the style of the evening dress is simply not enough, then the use of classic-looking brooches— textile jewellery that worked in the old days, and will work again in the present—will do just the trick.