During the course of the world wars, servicemen departing home for the precarious and unpredictable conditions of the front line would leave gifts with their loved ones, with a small brooch depicting the service crest or a soldier’s regimental badge particularly popular.
These brooches were smaller than the original service badges and made from finer metals such as gold or silver rather than coloured base metals; some were embellished with precious stones, such as diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
This collection of sweetheart brooches, unseen for over fifty years, dates to the First World War, and is exceptional in the quality of manufacture. The are in gold and platinum, and intricately set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, they represent the British Army, The Royal Navy, Royal Artillery Corps, Royal Fusileers ,West Yorkshire Regiment, and the Royal Engineers.