the jewels of the victorian era were based on the personality of Queen Victoria, hence her tastes and ideas were taken into account to develop the different designs that reflected the beauty and art of jewelery, impregnating sensuality in each jewel, virtue, pity and sentimentality, that the Queen felt for Scotland. Therefore, we will learn a little more about Victorian era jewelery and its history that inspired jewelery throughout history. Join Us!
During the years of Victoria’s reign in the United Kingdom, the industrial revolution reached its highest stage of development. This had an impact on the way jewelery was worked, energizing this sector and achieving an important evolution. Thus, with the development of large-scale production technologies, manual labor is replaced, disregarding many workers, generating great advances and benefits.
Thus, the manual energy used to stamp a metal stamp was replaced by the steam engine, gas, and hydraulic force. This resulted in the elaboration of diverse forms in a much faster way, with a precision never seen before and with productions in large quantities, which causes a reduction in the hours of work of the artisans and consequently in the final price of the jewel.
As a result of technological advance, and the advantages and benefits in production, the creation of more creative designs was achieved, with greater precision that gave it greater beauty and quality. Similarly, there is a considerable reduction in costs, which allowed more people to acquire jewelery and watches, so the nobility and the richest merchants were no longer the only people who could afford a selection of jewelery to accentuate your wardrobe.
This series of advances in turn allows the emergence of large Swiss watch producing companies such as Lengones, Patek Phillipe, Cartier, Omega, Tissot, Tag Heuer, Audemars Piguet and Movado; and to further massify the production of jewelery and watches that reached a greater number of people with fewer economic resources, due to various decisions that reduced costs, such as what happened in 1854 when it was legally allowed in Great Britain, to lower the leagues of gold at 15K, 12K and 9K, as well as the introduction of the doublet, which consisted of covering an inexpensive metal with a gold foil.
In another order of ideas, it should be noted that this this style of jewelery of the Victorian era is eclectic, and carries with it a revaluation of the old, since the designs have a great interest in figurative motifs and sentimental themes, highlighting the flowers, the trees and the birds, which were captured by the goldsmiths of the Victorian period by means of techniques such as embossing and the imbricated work done in filigree of twisted threads. It should be noted that the most recognized goldsmiths of the time were Castellani and Giuliano, the latter being considered the greatest goldsmith of the 19th century.
With reference to the materials used in the production of jewellery, it is important to mention that there was a large production of jewelery where human hair was used as a raw material, giving rise to creations of rare beauty and great skill in weaving them. Also, iron jewelery was very popular, and it arises since the Germans gave all their steel jewelery to fight Napoleon.
As for the semi-precious and precious stones used in the designs, agate, malachite, carnelian and onyx stand out, which were used for night jewellery, turning turquoise since 1860 the most popular stone. However, the Victorian jewelery from the afternoon had beautiful and brilliant gemstones, such as: Australian emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds and opals, while large pearls were also part of the jewelery and were put on necklaces and earrings.
All these stones and materials were inserted in designs with certain Victorian symbols, so jewelers made brooches and medallions in the shape of hearts, horseshoes and anchors, which were symbols of love, luck and loyalty.
In addition, sports, animals, and nature reflected the art of Victorian-era jewelryhighlighting the use of butterflies, pigeons, and flowers, which became popular elements in hair accessories, while the snake became used in bracelets and rings, becoming very popular during the reign of Victoria, which is considered to have gone through three periods.
Firstly, the early or Romantic period (1837-1860), which identifies the young, happy and in love queen. During this time, jewelery was defined by the use of designs inspired by nature, using gold in all its forms, sometimes accompanied by enamels, or with colored gems. During the day cheaper jewelery made of ivory, tortoiseshell, coral, or baroque pearls were used, and at night gold and gems were the stars.
The second period is the Middle or High Victorian also known as the Great Period (1860-1885), it is a time marked by mourning. With the death of her beloved husband Albert in 1861, she adopts mourning until the end of her life, and this is how black is also introduced in jewelery with tenuous, austere and sombre designs, which in turn denoted elegance, distinction and seriousness, being highly valued by the elite and the citizens of that time.
Also, heavy and dark gemstones began to be used, particularly jet, as well as onyx, amethyst and deep red garnets. The romanticism derived from the love of a couple and the subsequent duel of the queen after her death de ella, made the jewels of the victorian era take another direction in terms of their designs, since the predominant motifs were mourning, melancholy, memory to deceased loved ones, so they also included bereavement bracelet designs with miniatures and loved one’s hair.
Similarly, the use of box-shaped charms that treasured the memory of a loved one close to the heart, could contain a curl of hair or the first examples of photography (daguerreotypes) in secret compartments. and bracelets with locks with emblems under the cover of friendship, love or mourning, where various black materials were included, such as: black glass, onyx, black enamel and leather.
Finally, in the late Victorian period or Aesthetic Period (1885-1901), diamond mining discoveries in Africa make them highly accessible gems and are adopted for jewelery, accompanied by pale or colourless gemstones such as opals or moonstones. Women wear fewer jewellery, and in smaller sizes. The rule: “less is more” was adopted in the jewels of this period, gradually giving way to Art Nouveau.
Therefore, the jewels of the victorian era are framed in a world of feelings, passion, romanticism and mourning, which allowed the elaboration of designs that evolved according to circumstances, leaving a significant legacy to modern jewellery.