Victorian Antique Jewelry: Unpacking The History

Without a doubt, the Victorian jewelry period is the most prominent, influential era of antiquity and estate jewels. The British Monarch, Alexandrina Victoria (in this case the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland) and the Empress of India from 1837–1901 describe the age, as with most estate joys. During this age, there are 3 phases. First, the early, romantic era, which is sprinkled in tradition, gold and silver natural motifs, transparent stones, coloured gems only at night, are worn during the day.

The second was the Grand or Mourning time that coincided with the death of the husband of Queen Victoria, who was subsequently believed to be a misdiagnosis, and in fact to be a kind of advanced cancer. In December 1861, Prince Albert died of typhoid fever. And with the allegations of her adultery with Irish actress Nellie Clifden, Victoria was saddened by this setback. The Victorian jewelry started in the 1880s.

Romantic Period (ca. 1837–60)

A celebration of the passion of the young king was romantic time jewelry. Princes Albert gave her a snake ring with emerald eyes, her home, as he engaged her with Queen Victoria. Whilst for our western tastes this may seem a little simplistic, the snake is an eternity symbol and a common motif for jewelry. The tail in the mouth of the snake creates a continuous loop. This dewy-eyed optimism trickled the crowds and men and women preferred nostalgic, symbolic jewelry. Victorian jewelry is highly attractive and collectable today.

Grand Period (ca. 1860–80)

With the death of Prince Albert, everything changed. The broken-hearted Queen wore black clothes and mourned. Her jewelry taste was also a product of her profound sorrow. This time is generally associated with gemstones. During the Georgian period, when it became the first trend, mourning jewelry resumed.

Aesthetic Period (ca. 1880–1901)

By 1880, Queen Victoria was poised for the future of her constituencies. Differing from the gloomy sky and shifting fashion. The market has also improved significantly. While the emphasis was on factories at the beginning of Queen Victoria, the curiosity and admiration for handcrafted art were revived in later years. The late Victorian jewelry era of 1880–1901 coincided with these changing of taste and was known as the aesthetic period.

In England around the 1870s, the aesthetic movement was initiated and recognised by designers and artists all over the world, contributing gradually to the Arts and Artisans movement (1880s–1920s).

Hair jewelry

Hair is a part of Victorian jewelry relic tradition. The ritual of using hair as mourning jewels. A way to materialise the grieving period is to add hair strands into the jewelry. Hair is used as a memorial in jewelry, provided that it is the only part of the body that after death doesn’t alter or rot. The use of hair gems is focused on the desire for an intimate bond with the fallen, also beyond the sepulchre. Multiple materials which were integrated into a variety of jewelry were called Hair.