Brooch of silver with faceted glass, jasper, and heliotrope

Brooch from Hedvig Lindström's collection.

In Victorian Europe, Scottish brooches were a hot fashion detail worn by both women and men. Scotland was trendy during that period, and contemporary tourists flocked to the Scottish Highlands to walk in the landscape described by Walter Scott in his popular historical novels, and to which Queen Victoria often travelled to stay at her castle, Balmoral. The beautiful brooches were made in Scotland and typically from local materials, including a softly banded blue agate from the Scottish Highlands, and a citrine of amber colour typical of Scotland, known as cairngorm. When the supply of Scottish gemstones dwindled, it was replaced with beautifully cut glass.