Jewelry of the Victorian Era

Sep 13
08:10

2011

Peter Wendt

Peter Wendt

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Much beautiful jewelry was created during the long reign of Queen Victoria. People who study the history of jewelry divide the Victorian era’s jewelry into three styles: from 1837, when the Queen came to the throne, to 1860; then from 1860 to 1885; then from 1885 to 1901, when her reign ended with her death.

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The first period was dominated by jewelers like Robert Phillips and Pugin. Pugin liked a faux-Gothic style that manifested in necklaces and bracelets with medallions set with tiny precious and semi-precious stones. Much of Europe during the period were also enamored of coral,Jewelry of the Victorian Era Articles ivory, jet and topaz. Cameos were very popular, and Queen Victoria was especially fond of them, and encouraged their production.

Victorian jewelers were also inspired by nature and there are examples of diamond pins fashioned after sprays of flowers, or leaves. The snake motif was also popular, and showed up as bracelets and rings. The Queen owned many beautiful examples of snake bracelets and rings herself. Topaz and amethyst stones were often inlaid with diamonds or rubies to bring out their brilliant colors.

Jet, which is a fossilized wood, was also popular, and became even more so with the death of the Queen’s husband. She was in mourning for the rest of her life, and so wore much jet jewelry. Moreover, she made her court wear jet as well. Before the Prince Consort's death, many Victorian jewelers displayed their wares at the Great International Exhibition. Many of the jewels were not only sumptuous, but cleverly made. Morel and Company had a diamond and ruby ornament that could be separated and the pieces worn as individual brooches. Victoria’s court jeweler, Garrad, had a separate section at the exhibit where he displayed jewelry made of diamonds, sapphires, pearls, opals and rubies. Garrad had already made Victoria’s crown for her coronation.

The Queen herself dressed up for this exhibition. She wore a diamond ray diadem and a little crown, and a great many diamonds.

The years after 1860 saw a great increase in Victorian jewelry. Designers borrowed from Scottish, Celtic and Oriental themes and sporting jewelry also became fashionable. This jewelry had sporting motifs, like tiny tennis racket brooches with a pearl for a tennis ball, and horses made out of pave diamonds with enameled gold tack. After this, white jewels like diamonds and pearls became popular. Designers continued to be inspired by nature, with brooches and earrings fashioned after not only roses and violets but insects and beetles. Many rich ladies wore parures, which were seven or eight matching pieces of jewelry, mostly in diamonds, which had been discovered in great quantities in South Africa. By the end of Victoria’s reign Art Nouveau jewelry was just beginning to be popular, but the classic Victorian styles never went completely out of favor.

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