An Overview on the History of Victorian Jewelry

The Victorian era follows the time line of Queen Victoria’s reign. Beginning in 1837 and lasting until 1901, jewelry aficionados break down this rather large chunk of time into three more manageable sections.  

Early Victorian Era - Beginning with the young queens’ coronation and lasting until 1860, the year before she lost her husband (Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), jewelry styles of this period featured a large number of animal themes. Exotic as well as familiar animal shapes became popular motifs. Ladies in particular augmented their jewelry collections with floral sprays and pieces that displayed the most intricate scrollwork. Mind you, women’s clothing during this time called for wide puffed sleeves and floral trims. Low necklines opened up the neck for the display of gorgeous pendants.

Grand Victorian Period - Jewelry experts generally designate the years between Prince Albert’s death and 1885 as the grand Victorian period. Living for a while as a recluse, public sentiment turned against the queen. Toward the latter part of this time, she took on the title “Empress of India,” which found expression in jewelry styles of the time. Mourning jewelry became a hot commodity and jet pieces were so sought after that cheap imitations flooded the market. India’s influence came to play in the use of colorful rosettes, heavy brooches and lockets on long chains. Frames with Etruscan style elements became favorite settings.

Aesthetic Victorian Period - Falling between 1885 and 1900, which was just one year prior to her death, the aesthetic Victorian era had begun. Marked by the queen’s golden and diamond jubilees as well as changes in fashion that called for tight dresses, jewelry pieces now focused on exquisite detail work. Scarabs, birds, insects and other nature themes set the tone. The stone of choice was the diamond, which would be surrounded with pearls and colored stones. Pieces that were more intricate even featured spring mechanisms that could be activated by pressing on a hidden lever worked into the jewelry’s décor. Another famous piece of jewelry to have made an appearance was the diamond pin.

It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between pieces of the three periods. As a general rule of thumb, the buyer of Victorian jewelry will do well to look for symbolism in the pieces. For example, seed pearls quite frequently symbolized tears while pink coral was thought to ward off disease. Not surprisingly, these elements frequently were found in Grand Victorian pieces.

In keeping with this practice, the buyer of Victorian jewels featuring grouse feet or thistles will do well to remember that they represent Scottish lore. In 1852, Prince Albert purchased Balmoral Castle in Scotland’s Aberdeenshire and presented it to the queen as a personal gift. Consequently, traditionally Scottish flower and animal motifs became a staple of early Victorian pieces.

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Brief History of Edwardian Jewelry

The heyday for Edwardian jewelry was the three-decade period between 1890 and 1920. Although King Edward VII only reigned from 1901 to 1910, this son of Queen Victoria wielded such influence on societal tastes and the British Empire’s trade in precious stones that his era well surpassed his actual reign. Already actively involved in politics and trade before ascending to the throne, he traveled extensively and is, therefore, credited with actively shaping the look of jewelry that members of high society would eventually accept.

The dominant jewelry style of the Edwardian era followed the garland look. Heavily influenced by Parisian haute couture and style elements made famous by Louis XVI furniture, it was common to see plenty of bows, wreaths, stars, crescents and ribbons. Floral garlands and foliate motifs rounded out the design elements. Sizes and shapes varied depending on the expense the buyer of the jewelry was willing to incur. Actual artisanship relied on saw-pierced mounts, diamonds in circular cuts and collets.

Whereas the end of Queen Victoria’s reign gave rise to the imagery of the L'Art Nouveau style with its Japanese influences, Edwardian jewelry design coincided with the influences of the Ballets Russes and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Water lilies, peacocks and orchids gave way to synthetic rubies and blue sapphires in the forms of stars and bows. Colorful exotics were suddenly the hot commodity that ladies and gents favored when buying or commissioning jewelry.

Modern collectors easily identify this type of jewelry by the emphasis on platinum as the precious metal of choice and yellow gold as a base holder for a diamond trim. Focal points were frequently larger diamonds that feature the Old European cut. Smaller diamonds served as accent pieces and favored a rose cut. Other accents included moonstones and pearls. Toward the latter part of the period - due to the war effort - platinum for jewelry-making fell out of favor and was quickly replaced with white gold.

It is interesting to note that the Edwardian periodcoincided with the passage of the United States National Stamping Act, which mandated the proper marking of silver and gold contents. When the jewelry style made it to American shores, the Stamp Act requirements further enhanced the creation of visually stunning pieces in high-quality settings.

In fact, Edwardian-style jewelry quickly became a worldwide obsession. France’s Cartier took on the challenge to fabricate adornments in the garland style. Russia’s Faberge played around with the motif as well. In the United States, Tiffany & Co. became the most famous jewelry maker to experiment with the new designs that gave the previously favored French pieces a run for the money.

As the Edwardian period came to a close in about 1920, the stage was set for Art Deco to usher in geometric shapes and chunky styles. Whimsical filigree fell out of favor and stacked jewelry as well as Egyptian and Indian design elements dominated the up and coming decade for jewelry aficionados.

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