Stick Pins Forever

Stick pins are an interesting and ofter overlooked category of jewelry.  They became popular in the 18th century for their functionality.  They held together folds of fabrics such as cravats and shawls.  By the late 18th century, stick pins had achieved the height of their popularity and were worn by fashionable men and woman everywhere.  Even today, today we picture men in their smoking jackets with a cravat held in place by a stick pin.

By the Edwardian era fashions had changed and stick pins were less a necessity and more a fashion item.  Ladies still wore them on their shawls, but also wore them as lapel pins or on hats. Men also wore them on their lapels, often to show their patriotism or military affiliation.

Two hundred years later we still wear stick pins for the same reasons.  They can still be very functional.  I have used them to hold down a jacket lapel that wanted to flop forward or a scarf that wanted to slip.  They are worn to enhance a garment  because their small size and light weight  allows them to fit into places where other pieces of jewelry are too large.  And they still are worn demonstrate our patriotism. Right after 9/11, I saw many New Yorkers, particularly men,  wearing American flags every day.   Stick pins are a truly useful and enduring item.