“Amphora Brooches”, two red gold pins with emeralds. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

In 2005 I continued my work with the Amphora shape, which I’d been so preoccupied with in 2004, but now with a thin thread of gold. One of the results were these light pins, which are closed with a mechanism called “tietack”. The airiness of the brooch will inspire you to use it in unusual places.

“Amphora Brooches”, two red gold pins with diamonds. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

“Amphora Brooches”, two gold pins with diamonds. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

The Amphora idea has turned into airy, feminine pins with an almost womanly shape. Making them, I imagine the woman I wish would choose this particular one. The Amphora pins remind me of individual types of women – almost like portraits.

“Tulip”, gold pin, acquired by the Danish Arts Foundation in 2006. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

After 2005 some of the brooches have become rather large. That is possible because I’ve inlayed two small loops at the back of the brooch, which make them fit very closely to the fabric.

“Horizontal Amphora”, gold. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

Acquired by the Danish Arts Foundation in 2006.
Horizontal Amphora is meant to be worn on a jumper across the chest – from shoulder to shoulder.

“Cross”, gold. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

The Cross is best worn on the middle of the chest. Depending on how you wear it, it can appear as a Christian Cross or just plainly as a cross.

“Flower”, gold and diamond.

The golden flower is fastened with a little pin and a tietack. The simple mechanism inspires you to wear it somewhere other than on the lapel.

“Dragonfly”, gold and pearl.

I wonder if it was an insect or an angel that inspired the Dragonfly?

“Helenium”, gold and opal. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

In the summer of 2007 I scrutinized the botanical world for a while. I particularly looked at the angle of the petals and the flower stem. Accidentally my eye fell on Marigold and Helenium. The poetic Danish names for these flowers contained exactly what I wanted for my new collection of flower brooches.

“Vase Brooch”, silver with gullies.

The following brooches are created in the same time period as the large bracelets, the ones I call “the Royals”. They are all created at the anvil – created with my favourite hammer. I find great joy in the ancient techniques and take pleasure in the thought of another smith doing the exact same thing, a long time ago.

“Butterfly”, gold brooch, partly black, princess-cut diamond. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

In the sunshine you can see the colours of the rainbow in little rhombuses in the dark night behind the diamond.

“Fruit Basket”, rose-coloured gold, partly black, with plum-coloured diamond. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

If you go outside on a sunny day and have a look at the Fruit Basket, the light that’s not reflected by the diamond goes right through the stone and re-appears as coloured fragments on the matte black surface behind the diamond.

“Vase Brooch”, long narrow matte black silver and gold. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

Why don’t men wear brooches? Ah, they’ll wear medals and emblems that symbolize action and affiliations. But “real” brooches, worn out of sheer pleasure at their form and personality, couldn’t men consider that?

“Winner Steps”, lapel brooch in red gold. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

In 2003 I took a good look at brooches for men. One of the outcomes was the Winner Brooches, which are shaped like steps. One can have just a few steps, another long and dignified ones and a third several, some of which are tall and awkward… a bit like life!

“Brooch with a Blue Lining”, silver brooch, painted blue inside. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

For many years I’ve been thinking that men are jewellery-starved. The large expanse of chest on their dull-coloured sweaters seemed like a wall without pictures and the jacket pocket like a passe-partout without a photograph. That’s why I focused on jewellery for men in 2003. (See Jewellery for Men on Winter Letter 2002).

“Red Brooch with a Blue Lining”, red gold brooch, painted blue inside. Photo: Dorte Krogh.

A brooch can carry a symbolic message and it resounded through the world of jewellery, when former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright did just that when she went out to negotiate state business on behalf of America. Albright’s philosophy was that at every negotiation she would wear a brooch that symbolically indicated the goals she had set for herself…

“Revolver”, <Brillibums>, small pin in matte silver, gold and diamond. B/W photo: Chr. Lotzbeck.

A <Brillibums> is a tiny pin, no larger than 1,5 cm. It always holds a 0.10-carat diamond. The diminutiveness of the pin tempts you to place it anywhere, for instance on a hat, on the collar or maybe on the lapel. This revolver looks a little bit like the one that John Wayne used as a sheriff. But sometimes I shape it like a Colt.