Collecting Compulsions...

I have a theory that some people are born collectors and the compulsion will inevitably manifest in one interest or another. At least that's how I excuse my list of collections which currently stand at six and have poached all the space in my house. I've collected things for as long as I can remember and I'm constantly fighting the desire to begin new collections of items which are unrelated to my current obsessions! At the moment it's hatpins.

Hatpin Collection courtesy of leeleeclothes.blogspot.com



It started when I learned that my great-grandfather was a silversmith in Birmingham during the First World War and made several for my nan and her sisters. They've all been lost through the years (a silver bangle he made for my great-aunt is all we have left) but it piqued my interest and I started looking for examples which "could" have been made by him.

Sterling Silver Cuff made by my Great-Grandfather.

It's rare to see them in the shop and I never appreciated how varied and beautiful they are; like tiny works of art they can be intricate or bold, whimsical or imposing - each differing in intrinsic value and overall appeal.

For as long as ladies have been wearing hats, hat pins have been used as a form of expression even in times when society demanded conformity. Those made from expensive materials such as gold and silver, or those which required skilled craftsmanship to create (ie. enamelled and plique a jour) were obviously owned by wealthier ladies and worn to indicate their social standing. Forward thinking ladies would have followed the fashions of the day and plumbed for the latest styles (Art Nouveau, Art Deco etc) or examples of a more playful design. They may have been constrained by corsetry and convention but self expression has always managed to manifest itself through jewellery.

I daren't buy one or that will open the floodgates (and quite possibly tip my husband over the edge) but I've seen many which have tempted me. I particularly like plique a jour examples or the extremely rare pins which have hidden meanings in their design. Add to that the exquisite Antique Silver hatpin holders you can use to display them and it really is just a collection waiting to happen! 

I fancy a selection to adorn my dressing table, and a quick scout on ebay turned a few nice examples up far too easily! So does anyone else out there collect them already? Maybe you actually wear them? If so I'd love to hear from you.

Signing off...

Gorgeous, lovely hatpins..... all easily found online!!

Tempted..????