Why Has A Rare Luxury Brooch Been Banned From Being Sold?

The brooch is one of the earliest pieces of designer jewellery and as a design has survived for longer than perhaps any other fashion artefact in history.

From the early fibula designs that are over 3000 years old to the luxury designers working today, brooches have caught the eye, featured revolutionary designs and have made a distinct statement of what lies in the heart it often rests above.

It is equal parts a statement piece and a work of art when new but quickly develops into a vital piece of history, which has caused some controversy in the village of Sutton Scotney, Hampshire.

The village, otherwise most notable for just how many Spitfire planes crashed around it during the Battle of Britain, made headlines when a rare, ornate first-century AD brooch was found nearby.

The brooch itself, a beautiful large flat design believed to have been part of horse tack is not only beautiful with its unusual lines and sweeping curves and in remarkably good condition considering it is 2000 years old, is also an essential part of regional and national history.

It is an artefact of a period just before the invasion of Britain by the Roman Empire, and only ten of them are known to still exist.

It was subsequently sold at auction but caused consternation when it was bought by an unknown buyer based outside of the UK, as a British artefact would be subsequently exported away.

The government took the relatively unusual step of putting a temporary ban on exports of the brooch, valuing it themselves at over £18,000, and opening bids for the item in the hopes that it would end up in a museum.

It is a fascinating example of how much historic value is found in brooches, something that still remains true to this day with designs less than a century old still having some significant historical value.