Collectors Club - Brooches

I'm rather excited to be sharing Bex's collection today. Bex has been a great supporter of this series from the off and I'm very happy that she took the time to take part and show us all a glimpse at her gorgeous collection of brooches!

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Hi, I'm Bex from Futures. I'm here to talk to you about my collection of brooches. When Rachael first asked if anyone would like to appear in her Collection posts, it got me to thinking. Which collection could I post about?

Pictured above is my brooch collection in its entirety. Brooches aren't the only things I collect, I also collect Agatha Christie novels (and my boyfriend would also say beauty products), however my brooch collection is by far the prettiest one.

I began to collect brooches when I was about ten years of age. My paternal grandmother had recently passed away and left me some beautiful jewellery. I became a human magpie, seeking out more sparkly items for myself. I would buy any jewellery I could find until one day, my Dad and I were browsing in a local charity shop and found this little fella:

Something about him just stood out to me and I begged my Dad to buy me him. I had no clue at that age what a brooch actually was, so my Dad explained. He told me to look after him well, so he bought him and I did just that, keeping him in my little tartan jewellery box which I still have to this day:

My favourite brooch would have to be this one pictured below. Not only is it my favourite, it was also the most expensive by a long shot - however, for something as beautiful as this, who am I to complain?

I bought this stunning brooch in Camden, London when I was 16. The seller was an elderly Irish woman, who I could tell just by looking at her, didn't have very long to live. I fell for this brooch and felt really bad haggling for a cheaper price, however I still paid more than I've ever paid for a brooch in my life - it is possible that the price of this brooch is the same as about eight of the brooches in the top picture! I don't really wear the brooches in my collection, preferring instead to put them out on display on occasion, however this one quickly became a part of my staple wardrobe, especially when I became a prefect in Sixth Form. I still wear it now, although not as often, as tiny hands could easily grab it and do some damage to either themselves, me, clothes OR the brooch...

Since then, I have constantly kept an eye out in local charity shops, on local markets and various other places for gorgeous brooches to add to my collection. I haven't collected many in recent years, either I haven't found any that I've liked or I've been too busy to take a proper look.

I'm hoping to start up my collection again in the near future - brooches can be absolutely stunning and also provide a great focal point for an outfit.

Do you collect brooches? I'd love to see your collection

Bex xo

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Do you collect anything old and new and would love a place to feature it? Just leave a comment below!