A Guide to Vintage Jewellery

At Laurelle Antique Jewellery we celebrate the diversity and beauty of jewellery from every age. Most of our items are antique jewellery gathered from the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian or Art Deco eras, covering the years between 1714 and approximately 1935. Whilst we specialise in these eras we often find items which were crafted more recently that we believe our customers will appreciate.

Jewellery from 1935 until the recent past are often labelled as “vintage jewellery”, but this term can be a little confusing. The word vintage is often applied somewhat loosely in fields as diverse as fashion, motor vehicles and homeware. To explain how it works in the field of jewellery it’s worth knowing a little about the word itself.

The Word

Vintage is a middle English word which evolved from the Latin terms vinum, meaning wine, and demere, meaning “to remove”. It originally applied to the year in which grapes were harvested and placed into barrels for fermentation. Modern winemakers still refer to batches of wine according to their vintage, with older bottles exponentially increasing in value.

Although vintage in winemaking is a very specific term it has evolved over the years and entered everyday language as a broader term. Something may be described as a “good vintage” as a euphemism which simply denotes its superior quality, but most often it implies that an item comes with a historical context that informs its value.

Source: wearzeitgeist.com

Vintage clothing exemplifies the aesthetic traits of the era in which it was made. Vintage cars are emblematic of the ideals and technology of the time they were created. Thus vintage jewellery is very much connected to the time it was made, sharing characteristics which have come to represent the time and the styles which made it distinct.

The 1930s

In the years before the outbreak of the Second World War the outlook of the western world was distinctly optimistic in the main. Innovations in technology brought forth wonders that dazzled the population. The helicopter, the electric guitar and even sliced bread were pioneered in the 1930s, and this march of progress energised both jewellers and those for whom they worked.

Craftsmen of all stripes were experiencing the tail end of the Art Deco period, the first truly international design innovation movement, and this had led to an immense shake up in the way that jewellery design was approached. Jewellers no longer relied on traditional materials or techniques. Platinum and white gold were seen as fashionable and more modern than traditional high carat yellow gold, and these new materials enabled the creation of more angular designs which would have been too radical for the previous ages.

This was the beginning of the use of high quality faux items as they began to rival the materials they had been built to imitate, and even revealed some properties which were entirely their own. Science showed the world new wondrous materials and the lessons learned quickly found their way into the jewellers’ art. Ceramics, enamel and even early plastics like Bakelite were swiftly incorporated into new and daring designs. Imitation pearls and gem simulants could now be produced in greater scale and to a higher standard, which meant that jewellery was no longer the sole pleasure of the wealthy.

Thanks to this wider audience the types of jewellery created began to become more varied, and artisans were free to experiment without endangering irreplaceable materials. New gemstone cuts began to develop, along with the machinery to mass produce what would once take many days of labour from skilled professionals. It was a time of hope, and the items from this period show this in every facet and feature. Unfortunately, it was not to last.

The 1940s

The outbreak of World War 2 in 1930 caused seismic shocks across the attitudes of every population on earth. The First World War had been believed to be the war to end all wars, and with a second massive conflict in Europe the dream of peace was shattered.

Wartime led to a shortage of materials, and a marked downturn in the crafting of luxuries as the industrial capacity of the nation was geared towards the war effort. Vintage jewellery from this time is rare, not just due to less being made, but also from the fact that much of it was destroyed by the conflict itself.

Surviving pieces are indelibly marked by the tragedy of war. Lockets of fallen soldiers, wedding rings of widows and keepsakes of war orphans all carry with them a burden of sombre reflection. Wartime jewellery is a repository of memory, its true value expressed not in the way it was made, but in its purpose and history. Where the stories of the socialites of the 1930s are difficult to know, the lives of the people who owned items during the largest conflict to date are studiously recorded, and hold tremendous significance to collectors today.

The 1950s

With the end of the war the world breathed a collective sigh of relief, and some of the optimism of previous eras began to return. The Art Deco period’s unreserved passion for endless innovation and technological progression had been irrevocably changed by the terrible uses to which technology had been applied, and there were no more stark examples than the use of atomic weapons.

In the midst of the paranoia of the Cold War people began to look back on simpler times with nostalgia, and many of the designs which came out of this period consciously called back to earlier eras. The means to manufacture jewellery continued to improve, but the styles employed became more eclectic, melding many different aspects of the years which came before. At the same time a Victorian revival saw many antique styles revisited and reworked into contemporary design.

The propagation of the mass media was the major driving force behind the styles of the 1950s. Where the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras had given birth to styles which echoed the dress sense of the monarchs of the age, the style leaders of the 1950s were celebrities. Films stars like Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe set the course of trends that would influence people for many years to come.

The 1960s

An explosion of colour arrived in the jewellery of the 1960s as the psychedelic movement brought a kaleidoscopic broadening in what was seen as fashionable. The new materials pioneered in earlier ages were now perfected, and craftsmen began to experiment in ways that would have been unthinkable even a few years before.

Yellow gold made a massive resurgence, and abstract organic designs came to the forefront, almost in defiance of the Art Deco nostalgia that had dominated the previous decade. Shorter hairstyles allowed for larger and more extravagant earrings, and other types of jewellery followed suit. Impressive and innovative cocktail rings, giant plastron necklaces that almost completely covered the chest and arrays of numerous colourful bangles made this decade incredibly distinct from the time before.

This was also the decade where the gemstone Tanzanite was discovered in Tanzania. A unique mineral showing shifting hues of blue, purple and red it captivated those who saw it and was built into some truly remarkable pieces of tanzanite jewellery.

The 1970s

In the wake of the colourful cornucopia of the 60’s jewellery scene the vibrant mix of hues began to cool, but the 1970s brought their own specific style of exuberance. Yellow gold, a perennially popular material, was reimagined at scale. Classic forms like hoop earrings, medallion chains and sovereign rings were magnified and extended to an impressive degree.

The 70’s embraced the idea of quantity over quality; over-the-top, grandiose displays of semi precious stones paired well with extravagant and expansive hairstyles. The sparkle of the 1970s can perhaps best be seen in the emergence of glam rock, where bands would compete to see who could perform in the most outlandish glitter-coated outfits with the maximum amount of flare, extended collars and shoulder pads.

In contrast to glam style many pieces of 70’s jewellery were inspired by tribal or bohemian designs, and brought in earthy or fiery colour schemes that were more subdued than the glitter scene. However, even these more subtle designs were still often realised at a large scale.

The 1980s

The 80’s was a decade where the influence of celebrity on fashion reached a peak. Royals, ever influential in this area, once again led popular fashion as Princess Diana’s vintage pearls became the epitome of class, but other influential women were seizing the levers of the fashion world too.

Madonna brought punk-inspiration into the mainstream and made crosses fashionable again with her combination of religious imagery and sexual liberation. At the same time vibrant new artists like Cyndi Lauper and the Bangles introduced magnificent arrays of colour. During this decade Vivienne Westwood transitioned from a fringe exhibitor to becoming one of the most influential forces in design. Models like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Grace Jones launched brave new designs from the catwalk into the public consciousness.

The new materials created in the previous decades were widely used and experimented upon to create fusions of fashion that drew upon centuries of innovation, and were combined with the passion of youth.

Why Choose Vintage Jewellery?

When you are selecting a piece of jewellery it’s important to consider its aesthetics – whether the colours and forms suit you and your style – but with vintage jewellery there is so much more depth to the experience.

Vintage pieces each carry with them a little piece of the time when they were made, a preserved portion of the past that anchors them to a particular period. Investing in vintage jewellery creates a connection with history, and unlike modern jewellery it’s likely that doing so will be worthwhile in the long run. As time marches on more and more pieces of authentic vintage jewellery is lost through misadventure or neglect, which makes the surviving pieces more and more highly valued.

At Laurelle Antique Jewellery we have made it our mission to care for each of the pieces that we find, and to seek out those who will lavish attention on them to preserve them for future generations. Our collection of vintage and antique jewellery  has been expertly sourced by our experienced buyers to provide the best possible selection for our customers. Why not take a look and see which piece speaks to you?

If you have any questions about the pieces which we sell feel free to get in touch on England: 0333 700 4500 or send us an email via enquiries@antiquejewellerygroup.com. Our team is always happy to help!