Antique Jewelry Guide

Art Nouveau Jewelry

As the 19th century was coming to an end, there was a paradigm shift and jewelers started getting inspired by the massive European arts scene. Art Nouveau literally means New Art Era and came at a time when both Edwardian and Victorian eras were prevalent, i.e. 1890 – 1910. Even though the era came for only two decades, it had a profound impact on the way jewelry is designed and cut.
Think of Art Nouveau as a limitless artistic movement that frequently takes inspiration from the vibrant colors of everyday life. Jewelers during the era became more like artists than like technical persons and crafted simply outstanding designs.

The general mood of Art Nouveau jewelry is much softer than the oncoming era and enunciates romance in a light tone. Smooth curves and light colors enhance the soothing feel of jewelry. While Victorian era jewelers took inspiration from architecture and ancient art, Art Nouveau era jewelers were heavily influenced by the elements of nature, especially the components of Japanese Art.
Orchids, dragonflies, lilies, ferns and irises were some of the elements that were heavily focused upon by these jewelers. Art Nouveau jewelry was also very much dedicated to the female life form.

The 19th century had established the statement that a gemstone was the most important part of jewelry. Jewelers during this era rejected this statement and placed emphasis on the setting more than the gemstone itself. The idea turned out to be very inspiring and soon jewelers were experimenting with amazing new techniques and using different materials. Diamonds, opal, moonstone, amber, pearls were all utilized, but with caution. Sometimes, jewelers even used copper, shell and horn to add uniqueness to their works.

Edwardian Jewelry

Named after King Edward of Britain, the Edwardian era gave birth to elegant, light, yet graceful designs and ran for twenty years from 1900 – 1920. The Edwardian era is known for many things, however one of the most popular ones is its filigree techniques.
Jewelers during this era started using threads of platinum and other precious metals to alter the settings. This lead to an amazing new lacy look which perfectly complimented the Edwardian women’s outfit that was also dependent on silk, laces and feather topped hats.

You may think of the Edwardian era as a time of vigorous change. The 20th century had begun, but still the culture of the past era, i.e. Victorian had not vanished. It was still being used to convey decorum and feminism. Edwardian jewelers did borrow ideas from the Victorian era but mostly relied on classic motifs that highlighted the stone’s inner attractiveness. Elements of the Ancient Greek, Roman and Napoleonic civilizations are clearly visible in the era’s jewelry.

Edwardian jewelry used diamonds, pearls and precious metals like platinum. Pearls and diamonds in particular were very prized and jewelers tried their best to highlight their beauty as much as possible. Platinum was chosen over gold due to its physical properties that made it light yet strong. The use of platinum allowed jewelers to create settings that required minute amount of metal to secure the precious stone. The white metal combined with white stones formed a setting that was a class apart.

Georgian Jewelry

Georgian era was a time period that lasted from 1714 to 1837, for more than a hundred years and thus held a lot of influence on the eras to come. The era was named after the three English kings, George I, II and III. It is important to note that during this era, jewelry was mostly limited to the upper class due to poor earning opportunities. This was also the time when American & French Revolutions were at their zenith, however the best way to think of Georgian Jewelry is by imaging it as the England of Jane Austen.
Hand crafted Georgian jewelry was a well-set way of the court and worn during several rituals by the elite.

As the Georgian era lasted for more than a hundred years, the designs and styles kept on changing as time went on. During the early years, an ornate style called “Rococo” took over while during the end, Gothic styles were prevalent. Diamonds were the stones of choice, initially, and rose cuts were very much favored by the Royalty. Colored gemstones like sapphires and emeralds started gaining momentum during the middle years of the 18th century. A very unique and distinct feature associated with Georgian jewelry was its plethora of closed back settings. This meant gemstones were mount in a manner that encapsulated either the bottom half or the entire pavilion.
The use of foil was also common to increase the reflection index.

Even though the era lasted for over a century, very few pieces have survived as there was no established technique for mass production. It is due to this very reason that Georgian jewelry is very rare and thus highly priced.

Retro Jewelry

Often known as cocktail jewelry, retro jewelry became popular during the 30s and went all the way till the end of the 40s. The time period was characterized by economic collapses in multiple countries that came to be known as the Great Depression. In addition, the 40s gave way to the Second World War. Both these events may make you think that jewelry from this era would be much more restrained and minimal in size. In fact, the era gave birth to jewelry that was much bigger in size and thus gave way to more excitement.

In the midst of all these crisis, the higher class looked for jewelry that was much more eye catching that the previous eras. The 30s was also a golden time for Hollywood, when it became an established standard for worldwide film industry. Hollywood meant glamor, and nothing was more glamorous than big & bold gemstones fitted on precious metals like platinum and gold.

Retro era jewelry wasn’t limited to rings but featured larger than life, bracelets and necklaces. Their large size made them very playful and fueled fiery temptations within the hearts of women. Many governments decided to tap into the women workforce during World War II. The compensation women got from these jobs was mostly spent on jewelry as a way to express their feminism. Retro jewelry can be differentiated from the rest by its curved designs, ribbons, flowers and not-to-mention huge size.

Retro era’s boldness wasn’t the only thing that gave jewelry its unique appearance. Creativity was also rampant, and due to lack of platinum, jewelers turned towards mixing metals to create alloys. Jewelers managed to create shades of rose and green by mixing yellow gold with different metals. Semi-precious stones like topaz, aquamarine and citrine were also used in many “cocktail rings”.

Victorian Jewelry

As you might have guessed, the Victorian time period is name after Queen Victoria of England who reigned over the British Empire for more than 6 decades. Until Queen Victoria took over, jewelry was mostly limited to aristocrats. But during the Victorian era, jewelry became much more common and an accessible option for the middle class of US and Europe.
It was by no coincidence that jewelry was of the queen’s most liked possessions, which is why she had excellent taste in guiding the public’s perception. Victorian era jewelry largely mimics and displays the lifestyle of the Queen as she moved from one phase of her life to another, i.e. from joy to sadness and back again.

During the Romantic Period that lasted from 1837 to 1861, Queen Victoria along with Prince Albert, her husband found themselves madly in love. During these years, jewelry expressed romance and serenity. Common motifs during this time frame include hearts, flowers, bows and birds.

When Price Albert died in 1961, Queen Victoria plunged into a phase of depression. This period lasted from 1861 to 1880.
During this time the jewelry became darker. Black jewelry was made out of coal fossils, which became popular along with jewelry made out of black enamel and onyx. Victorian era jewelers were heavily inspired by designs from the renaissance time period.

Eventually, the Queen came out of her plunge, i.e. 1880 to 1901. The design changed as well and now dragons, stars and griffins had become more common. Japanese influences were also making their way into the design of rings and earrings.

A very significant factor that played a huge role in the evolution of Victorian jewelry was the abundance of precious metals and gems. By the 1800s, there were a string of gold discoveries that drastically brought down the price of gold, making it available to the middle class. Silver also became less costly, but gold was still preferred as the ambassador of Victorian era jewelry. In 1867 diamonds were discovered in South African mines which greatly their accessibility.