ornamental pin, usually with a clasp to attach it to a garment. Brooches developed from the Roman clasp, or fibula (q.v.), similar to a safety pin, in regions that had been part of the Roman Empire. In the severe climate of northern Europe, the brooch became the characteristic ornament because it routinely functioned as a fastening for a heavy cloak or tunic.

Brooches have been made in many different shapes. A long brooch that resembled the fibula was made throughout Europe from the Black Sea to Britain, differing in ornamentation and design in each region. The brooch characteristic of the Franks (Frank) was a rosette, or circular brooch, generally decorated with filigree. At first the Scandinavians developed brooches based on the fibula, but after about 550 their brooches became more individualized. Their “tortoise” (7th to early 11th century), trefoil (9th–11th century), and circular brooches are generally decorated with symmetrical designs of considerable beauty. Continental gold filigree and complex cloisonné work were introduced into England by the Teutonic tribes. “Saucer” brooches were fairly common, often with rosette designs or zoomorphic patterns. With the introduction of Christianity came forms such as pendant crosses, in which Carolingian and Byzantine influence is evident. The penannular brooch, in the form of a ring with a small break in the circumference, was characteristic of Irish production; generally of great size and probably worn on the shoulder with the pin pointing upward, it was richly decorated with interlaced patterns. The finest example is the Tara brooch (q.v.), which is now in the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.

Throughout the Middle Ages the brooch continued to be widely used, often in the form of a ring in which the pin is held in position by the pull of the fabric through which it passes. As improvements came about in jewelry-making techniques, brooches became more varied. They could be combined with cameos (cameo), for example, and set with precious gems cut in new techniques, and they could be made in the form of birds, flowers, leaves, crescents, stars, bows, and the like. With the expansion of wealth in the 19th century and the creation of a market for vast quantities of inexpensive jewelry, brooches became a popular commercial form.