Trend Watch: Sharper Image

If you had your school picture taken anytime between 1978 and 1984, you probably have at least one piece of stickpin evidence. Whether it was a happy cluster of bubble-hearts or the astrological sign of Sagittarius (thanks, mom), that prized adornment sat proudly in your corduroy lapel as a symbol of your adolescent sharpness. You had attitude, even if in third grade you didn't know it.

With a number of standout designs emerging in various small-scale jewelry collections, the stickpin is regaining its sharpness. We've spotted a number of keepers that make us want to dig way back in the closet for that wide-wale Sassoon blazer, though this time around, we're more inclined to add one to a fedora or scarf. In step with the return of the high-waisted '70s jean and long, lean military-inspired coats, the stickpin personifies an eras-old, streamlined kind of cool. Bold in its simplicity, today's variety marries the masculine and feminine either with handsome hand-carved treatments or precious stones.

Erring on the elegant side, Doyle & Doyle offers an amethyst and pearl piece in 10-karat gold ($150) and a dressed-up enamel and diamond sword pin in 18-karat gold ($75). Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons turned out tougher examples: The Old Soul, a hand-carved gold and silver horned owl pin ($380), the Golden Bighorn ($380), and the Bighorn in cold-cast porcelain ($230). And designer Emma Fletcher of Lyell seems to have recaptured the innocence of the one we loved and wore when we were in girl scouts—the sweet, studied Lovebirds lapel pin ($55). You might not be as innocent as you were back then, but you can still reclaim some of that unassuming attitude—point taken.

The charm of the stickpin makes its point once again.