Plain Brass Penannular Brooches

If you’re looking for a penannular brooch that’s simple and functional, these are just what you need! They’re inexpensive, and they get the job done! Hand-formed and hammered brass in a traditional design.

The 3 inch large brooch is perfect for great kilts, ancient kilts, fly plaids earasaids, Renaissance attire and more.

The 2 inch medium brooch is good for almost anything, including fastening ancient kilts and plaids.

The 1 1/4 small brooch is just right for sashes and scarves.

• Simple and functional
• Inexpensive
• Gets the job done!
• Hand-formed and hammered brass
• Traditional penannular design
• Large: 3 inch diameter
• Medium: 2 inch diameter
• Small: 1 1/4 inch diameter

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The Celtic Croft carries a wide selection of penannular brooches, as well as plaid brooches and smaller, decorative brooches and pins. If you like our 3 Stone Penannular Brooch, you might also like our Dal Riata Brooch, or our Cornish Pewter Celtic Penannular Brooch. They are visually the most similar of our brooches. 

Our most popular penannular brooch is our Classic Wrought Iron Penannular Brooch! Our Plain Brass Penannular Brooch comes in at a close second. Customers prefer the large size of the Plain Brass Penannular Brooch, since it functions the best as a fly plaid brooch. We recommend the smaller sizes (small and medium) for shawls, sashes, and decorative touches. 

You’ll love our line of plant and animal penannular brooches! Bestsellers in this category include our Wolf, Dragon, Raven, Thistle, and Griffon brooches. We also carry Lion, Bear, Cat, Boar, Ram, and Falcon brooches. 

The History of The Penannular Brooch

Also known as the “Celtic brooch”, the penannular brooch is used to fasten clothes. Our customers often use them to fasten fly plaids, the aprons of ancient kilts, and the extra fabric of great kilts. Jamie Fraser from OUTLANDER wears one to fasten his great kilt (one similar to our Wrought Iron brooch). The name comes from the fact that it is made of an incomplete ring. People associate them with the British Isles of the Early Medieval period the most.

People of Iron Age Europe first used them for the practical purpose of fastening clothing. Elites of Ireland and Scotland from 700-900 owned highly ornate brooches made of precious metal. They are the most significant non-religious metalwork from Early Medieval Celtic art. Celts continued to use more simple brooches, such as a thistle brooch, into the 11th century Viking age in Ireland and Scotland.

Both men and women wore these brooches. The men wore them at the shoulder and women at the breast with the pin pointing up. An Irish law stated that the wearer was not at fault for an injury sustained from the pin of a brooch if the pin is pointed up and does not project too far out.^[2]         

Elites and clergy in Ireland wore the most elaborate brooches. The clergy likely wore them only for ceremonial purposes to fasten copes and other vestments. An Irish statute stated that sons of major kings that are fostered should wear gold brooches with crystal inserts. The sons of minor kings only needed to wear silver brooches. This means that our 3 Stone Penannular Brooch resembles those worn by the sons of major kings, because of the crystal inserts.