With Wimbledon's 150th anniversary just a year away, annabeljames.co.uk is marking the occasion with a curated collection of antique and vintage tennis brooches tracing Britain's love affair with the sport from the years the Championships were born to the refined silversmithing of the late 20th century.
Bringing together a group of beautifully preserved pieces, the collection will appeal equally to tennis enthusiasts and collectors of antique sporting jewellery and Victorian novelty silver.
The collection's centrepiece is an exceptional Victorian sterling silver brooch, hallmarked Birmingham 1886 - just nine years after the inaugural Wimbledon Championships. Featuring crossed tennis racquets and a charming pair of miniature plimsolls, it is a rare and beautifully observed piece of sporting jewellery history.
Alongside it sit two further pieces spanning the century: a finely detailed Edwardian silver racquet brooch by Crisford & Norris, hallmarked Birmingham 1902 - one of the most celebrated names in Edwardian novelty silver, whose Birmingham Jewellery Quarter workshop became renowned for capturing the playful spirit of the age in miniature, the racquet complete with a perfectly formed silver ball - and a striking Elizabeth II piece by celebrated silversmith Derek Birch, hallmarked London 1978, whose sculptural open-work design speaks to the enduring elegance of the sport across the generations.
A NOTE ON THE REVIVAL OF THE BROOCH
Brooches are enjoying a remarkable revival. Spotted on the 2026 Met Gala red carpet, championed by style figures including Lewis Hamilton, and worn by men and women alike pinned to lapels, blazers, dresses and bags, the brooch is firmly back in favour.
The male brooch revival reached a peak at this year’s Academy Awards, where it dominated the red carpet. Leonardo DiCaprio wore a Boucheron bumble bee brooch, while Best Actor winner Michael B. Jordan pinned a custom David Yurman high jewellery brooch to the back of his jacket. Meanwhile, at the Wuthering Heights premiere, Margot Robbie wore two archival Boucheron brooches, one dating to 1900. On the runway, Chanel sent camellia and floral brooches blooming across tweed jackets and crisp shirts, while Tory Burch turned the brooch into a playful focal point.
ABOUT ANNABELJAMES
Annabel James offers a carefully curated collection of vintage and antique signed costume jewellery and collectable silver, sourced by Anne, who has been working in and around the jewellery industry since the late 1980s. Eclectic, personal and sustainably minded, the collection spans everything from rare Victorian novelty silver to iconic 20th-century designer pieces by the likes of Dior, Tiffany, YSL and Vivienne Westwood - united by a single conviction: that the best jewellery always has a story.
Anne has long believed that vintage and antique pieces offer something modern jewellery rarely can. "Even in high-end costume jewellery today, you seldom find the same level of craftsmanship and hand-finishing you see in vintage pieces," she says. "And there's something quietly romantic about jewellery from an earlier era - each piece has its own history, and becomes more special still when it finds a new owner. A new chapter begins."
Buying vintage is also, of course, the most sustainable choice of all.
Contact PR team
Visit press office