The Victorian era, spanning the last two thirds of the 19th century, was a time of epic romances, great tragedies and unprecedented prosperity. The jewels of the Victorian Era reflected these ever changing fortunes and are best studied as three periods. The Romantic Period began with Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne. In 1840, Victoria married Prince Albert and their love and complete devotion became the inspiration for the Romantic era. Since the supply of gold was limited at this time, the jewelry of the period is characterized by light, open gold work using the techniques of filigree and piercing. Many pieces were also fabricated from thin plates or sheets of gold that were produced in a die roll, then chased and engraved. The use of these techniques gave the illusion of mass and size, while only using a minimum amount of precious metal. Gold plates were soldered to the back of the piece for support and the jewels were often accented with seed pearls, turquoise and pink coral. In 1861, the Romantic Period abruptly came to an end with the death of Victoria's beloved husband, Albert, thrusting Victoria and her more loyal subjects into deep mourning. The jewelry of this period was somber in design. Heavy, dark stones were set in gold jewels with black enamel tracery. Coinciding with this lengthy mourning period was the Grand Period, so called because of the grand way in which gems, jewelry and metals were used. During this period, gold was discovered in America and Australia, greatly increasing availability of this precious metal to jewelry designers. The late Victorian Period, known as the Aesthetic Period or Movement was a direct response to the over-indulgent fashions and to the formality and strict protocol of the Grand Period. During the Aesthetic Period a sense of fun and light-heartedness returned to jewelry. Whimsical motifs such as griffins and dragons, crescent moons and stars, and butterflies and salamanders, were crafted into jewels of astounding beauty. During this late Victorian Period, hats became very popular. In fact, hats became much larger and more ostentatious than ever before, often decorated with large feathers, plumes and real birds. With this increased use of large hats came the need for longer hat pins to hold them in place. The look of demure prim gentility was emphasized by the loss of the great hats in 1835 for bonnets. Great hats had given a flirtatious air to clothes and their replacement by bonnets changed the whole character of day dresses. Lavishly trimmed bonnets stayed in fashion for half a century and weren't worn much after 1890. Although jewelry had been made by multiple methods of production for centuries, mid Victorian mass production in Birmingham and Germany meant that standards were lowered. Victorian women rebelled when they saw some of the machine made jewelry on offer, although much of what has survived is of good quality. Many wore no jewelry at all, or bought from the artist craftsman jewelers who emerged at much the same time. Some jewelers like Tiffany began to make fine jewelry of such high standard that they soon opened shops in main cities of Europe. As you can see, the era of Victorian jewelry was long and rather complicated, but it produced some of the finest antique and collectible jewelry that can be found today.
As you look for Victorian jewelry to add to your collection, keep in mind the type that would best suit you or the person that you are giving the jewelry for. With such a wide variety of Victorian jewelry to choose from, you are sure to find a piece that will fit the bill, whether for yourself or for a loved one.