Period Focus: Victorian Jewelry (1837 - 1900)
We recently brought you an overview on Jewellery Through The Ages: 1714 - 1935 which looked at the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco periods, however we wanted to take a look in a little more depth into each period, starting with a period focus upon the Victorian era.
Queen Victoria ruled between the years of 1837 and 1900 and, during this time, a middle class began to emerge, introducing an increased demand for mass market jewellery. Prior to this, fine pieces of jewellery had only been affordable by the upper class, however Victorias reign saw it become a much more popular accessory, alongside the introduction and popularity of a number of unique trends. To look in a little more depth at the Victorian period, we can split this up into three main subsections:
The Romantic Period (1837 - 1861)
The Grand Period (1861 - 1880)
The Aesthetic Period (1880 - 1900)
The Romantic Period (1837 - 1861)
The Romantic Period is generally assumed to be that from when Queen Victoria came to the throne until the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and jewellery through these years seemed to mirror the affection between the couple. During this time, serpent and snake jewellery became popular, often encrusted with diamonds or garnets set onto yellow gold. Popular pieces through this period were necklaces, brooches, pendants and bracelets and its interesting to learn that it was Alberts ring to Victoria, a snake with its tail in its mouth (thought to be a symbol of eternal love) which sparked this trend.
Diamond or amethyst rings, set in either platinum or gold, were popular during the Romantic Period as was the pairing of diamonds with pearls, rubies, sapphires or emeralds. In addition, flower motifs became popular as did very big bangles and bracelets, as well as brooches, pins and cameos.
The Grand Period (1861 - 1880)
Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Victoria embarked upon many decades of wearing mourning jewellery which, as you would expect, sparked a trend of black pieces, usually made from jet, with others being made from French jet, vulcanite, bog oak, black onyx or black enamel. During the Grand Period, cameos suddenly became Romanesque whilst ancient mosaic techniques became used to create, for example, pins in the shape of peacocks. Trends from the Renaissance also became popular, creating necklaces using coloured gemstones. During the period, the materials used in jewellery making started to change, with the introduction of sapphires becoming commonplace, as well as an increased use of diamonds and opals.
The introduction of stamping and electroplating techniques through the Industrial Revolution saw an increased usage of gold, due to such techniques making it more economical and reducing the price. Gold jewellery was now cheaper than ever making it incredibly popular during the period.
The Aesthetic Period (1880 - 1900)
The final 20 years of the Victorian period became known as the Aesthetic period, during which jewellery became simpler and smaller in scale. To celebrate Queen Victorias 60th anniversary, silver Jubilee jewellery became popular, decorated with a capital V and the dates 1837 and 1897. The Aesthetic Period saw a strong crossover with the Edwardian period from 1890, given that many jewellery trends typically associated with this time began to originate in the Victorian period.
All in all, its easy to see why antique jewellery from the Victorian era remains so popular to this day, given its beauty, style and in some cases, simplicity!