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History of Enamel Pins

enamel pin badges history of enamel pins lapel pins history

 

Have you ever wondered how enamel pins came to be? Well we thought we’d give you a brief history on enamel pins and lapel pins!

 

Over the years there has been a revival in the wearing and collecting of enamel pins, but these simple accessories have been around for a very long time indeed. If we go back to 1800  B.C., some 3,800 years ago, it was the Egyptians who began the process of inlaying and enamelling - the process behind making an enamel pin. Although it’s thought that the Egyptians didn’t create lapel pins, they are known to have created the process. It is in fact the Chinese who design and manufactured the first enamel and lapel pins, in the period of around 1271 to 1368 AD. The Chinese had improved the enamelling techniques, and enamelware in China became very popular under the rule of Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty.

 

Since then enamel and lapel pins have been worn by soldiers during battle. The trend is thought to have started during the Revolutionary War and continued through to World War I. The use of enamel and lapel pins had also become very popular for politicians and political supporters during rallies and events.

 

Today, we’ve seen a huge increase in the popularity of enamel pins. The various designs created today cater for many different niches. The trend for enamel pin wearing and collecting certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down!