Sorry, Brighton lass here. 😂

But SEAAAAAAAAAGUUUUUUUULLS!

I couldn't resist this one. There is something gloriously Brighton about a shiny Silver gull swooping about, looking elegant, powerful and entirely as though it has just nicked someone's chips.

And I absolutely adore it.

This is a one-of-a-kind vintage Sterling Silver seagull brooch, dating, I would guess, from around the 1970s. It's beautifully simple: a graceful, soaring gull captured mid-flight, with its wings stretched out as though it has somewhere considerably more interesting to be than the rest of us.

And, frankly, I have decided this may now be my favourite vintage piece.

There is, however, a little plot twist.

🕊️ A Little Repair Project — Or Something Completely New?

This vintage seagull brooch is currently broken, so I am selling it as a project piece rather than pretending it will magically repair itself overnight. Sadly, jewellery does not respond to positive thinking. I have tried.

The good news is that it should be relatively straightforward to repair, or — and this is where I think it could become particularly fabulous — it could be repurposed into a necklace or bracelet.

I can imagine a delicate chain attached at each wingtip, allowing the gull to become a beautifully unusual pendant, with its wings stretched out across the chest.

Alternatively, it could become a wonderfully quirky bracelet feature.

So if you're a Brighton & Hove Albion fan, a lover of the seaside, a bird enthusiast, someone who collects vintage Silver jewellery — or simply the sort of person who sees a broken piece and immediately thinks I know exactly what I could do with that — this could be your little project.

✨ The Nitty-Gritty

• Item: Vintage Seagull / Gull Brooch
• Material: Sterling Silver
• Marking: Stamped STERLING
• Hallmark: No British hallmark present
• Era: Believed to be circa 1970s
• Length: Approximately 54mm
• Height: Approximately 13mm
• Style: Shiny, polished, soaring Seagull design
• Condition: Currently broken and requiring repair
• Potential: Suitable for restoration as a brooch or repurposing into a necklace or bracelet
• One-of-a-kind vintage piece

As it is stamped STERLING but doesn't carry a British hallmark, I cannot give you the certainty of a formal UK assay hallmark regarding its age or provenance. My 1970s dating is an educated estimate, based on the style.

🌊 Why I Love the Gull

Before anyone starts saying, "But Christine, they're Herring Gulls, not Seagulls!" — yes, I know. And technically, there isn't one single species called simply a "Seagull". The term is commonly used for gulls living around the coast.

But we're not here for a taxonomic argument while a gull is flying off with your sausage roll.

Gulls have a fascinating symbolic history.

They live at that wonderfully liminal point between land and sea, making them natural symbols of the meeting between Earth and Water. They're adaptable, intelligent, opportunistic and famously unafraid to make their presence known.

In other words: excellent jewellery symbolism.

Their loud, unmistakable calls have also led to associations with speaking your truth, being heard and standing your ground. There is absolutely nothing timid about a gull.

And then there's their extraordinary adaptability. Gulls can live in an astonishing variety of environments, from coastal areas to inland locations, and different species are found across much of the world. That has made the Gull a lovely symbol of adaptability, resilience and survival.

Which feels rather appropriate for a piece of vintage jewellery that has already had one life and could now be given another.

🐚 Gull Symbolism & Folklore

Gulls appear in the mythology and artistic traditions of various cultures.

In some Native American traditions, gulls feature in art and stories, including associations with certain clans and tribes. Interpretations vary considerably: while some stories portray the gull as greedy or opportunistic, others recognise its perseverance and resourcefulness. The Haida of the Pacific Northwest, in particular, have traditions that regard the gull as a wise advisor with spiritual significance.

Welsh folklore gives the gull an especially lovely connection.

Stories surrounding Saint Cenydd of Wales tell of him being abandoned in the River Lougher as a child, with some versions of the story saying that Seagulls rescued him and brought him home. Gulls were also regarded in Welsh tradition as predictors of storms, which makes rather perfect sense when you consider how closely seabirds respond to changes in weather and the sea.

Irish mythology gives us another deliciously magical connection. Manannán mac Lir, the Irish god of the sea, is sometimes associated with the form of a gull. He had his trickster tendencies — naturally, because apparently no mythological sea god can simply behave himself — but the gull symbolism also brings ideas of intelligence, playfulness and a mischievous spirit.

And I rather like that.

🏖️ For the Brighton People…

Of course, if you're from Brighton, the gull needs very little explanation.

They are part of the landscape.

They scream outside your bedroom window.

They patrol the promenade.

They know precisely which person has chips.

They have absolutely no respect for personal boundaries.

And yet, when you see one soaring above the sea with its wings outstretched, there is something genuinely beautiful about them.

This little vintage Silver gull captures that graceful version.

The one that isn't currently trying to steal your lunch.

Whether you keep it as a brooch after restoration, turn it into a necklace, create a bracelet, or simply rescue it because you cannot bear to see such a lovely vintage piece abandoned, I think it has enormous potential for a second life.

And perhaps that's my favourite thing about it.

A little bit broken. Still beautiful. And absolutely capable of becoming something wonderful.

Very Brighton, really. ❤️

♻️ Packaging

Your jewellery will arrive beautifully presented in a fully recycled Christine Alexander branded gift box, because fabulous jewellery does not need unnecessary plastic to announce its arrival.

🚚 SHIPPING

Yes, darlings, I dispatch as soon as my little hands can package your treasure — but remember, I’m a boutique, not Bezos. If I have your piece to hand, it will be dispatched the same day, but the vast majority comes to me first from my wondrous silver and goldsmiths on order.

UK Shipping:

Expect your sparkles in 5–7 working days. Think of it as foreplay for the soul.

International Shipping:

Anywhere from 5 to 30 working days, depending on customs, the mood of your postal service, and whether Mercury is in retrograde.

Customs Policy

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or the shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.

Please check with your local customs authority to determine these additional costs prior to bidding or buying if you are not in the UK. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick up the item.

If you are in the USA, please drop me a message before ordering.

*ORDER CANCELLATION OR REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED DUE TO UNPAID CUSTOMS DUTIES BY THE BUYER*