Victorian Jewellery Guide

Introduction to Victorian Jewellery

What better place to start when discussing Victorian jewellery than discussing the Victorian era and when it began? The Victorian era started in 1837 and lasted until 1901. The era spanned over 60 years and started and ended with the reign of Queen Victoria, during that time there were vast technological advancements and jewellery styles.

Queen Victoria was crowned on the 20th of June 1837, her reign is usually broken down into three different periods. The early Victorian period often called the Romantic period ran from 1837 to 1860. That was followed by the Mid-Victorian era also referred to as the Grand Period this part ran from 1860 to 1880. The third and final part of the Victorian Era was called the Late Victorian Era or the Aesthetic Period this ran from 1880 right up until the end of the period in 1901.

During these periods jewellery trends often switched for example in the early parts of the period lots of the jewellery produced were influenced by a young Queen Victoria's happiness and her love for her husband Prince Albert. This is why the early part is also called the Romantic Period. The jewellery pieces of the time featured hearts, flowers, colourful gemstones and much more. 

Mid to Late Victorian Period

The Mid-Victorian period, was much different with from the early period which was defined as a much happier time. During this period Prince Albert passed away which left the Queen and the country in mourning. This saw the style of jewellery change to a much darker tone, materials such as onyx and black enamel became more popular. This also saw the rise of lockets and brooches personal artifacts such as hair or a portrait of a loved one. 

The third and final period saw jewellery become much more diverse. Following periods of happiness and then mourning came industrialisation. That meant jewellery followed that trend, this saw jewellery becoming more artistic and more nature-inspired in themes. During this period we also saw more jewellery inspired by other cultures through the British Empire. 

How Does Victorian Jewellery Differ from Today's?

As you can see from our handy little picture here, we are comparing sovereign holders from the Victorian era and a more modern design. As mentioned already the Victorian Era spanned over 60 years and saw lots of different themes and designs, with that being said some things did stay consistent throughout the period. Often the jewellery was handcrafted and much more detailed than we see today. These pieces carry deep personal and emotional significance meaning a piece was always very well looked after. There was also a period after Prince Albert's death were "mourning jewellery" became very popular, in the next part of this guide we will discuss what mourning jewellery is.  

In contrast, modern jewellery tends to accemt simplicity & versatility. Advances in the jewellery industry have enabled pieces to be produced much quicker than was possible during the Victorian Era, this has made jewellery more accessible and more affordable. Today's designs & styles favour clean lines, geometric shapes and simple designs this is a world away from the intricate designs from before. Another huge difference today is that we have much more choice today than they did back then, that has saw the rise of alternative materials such as stainless steel, titanium and more conscious choices in choosing stones and metals. In todays market jewellery is often designed and styled to be worn with other pieces this is a far cry from the in the Victorian Age when usually each piece was unique. 

Queen Victoria & Prince Albert

As mentioned above, Queen Victoria and her style was often a driving force for the time. In this part of the guide we will talk about mourning jewellery and who were the people creating jewellery for the queen at that time.

What is Victorian Mourning Jewellery?

Mourning jewellery is a piece of jewellery created and worn to be remember the death of a loved one. This is such an important part of the Victorian Era because of the death of Prince Albert. This style of jewellery has a very distinct style and features black gemstones like onyx and symbols of grief such as angels, clouds and willows. 

Who Were The Jewellers to Queen Victoria?

Lots of jewellers became famous from the work they did with Queen Victoria. The most famous is Garrard & Co they were the first official crown jeweller and worked with the crown from 1843 right up to 2007! Another jeweller who was well known for working with Queen Victoria were Bentley & Skinner who were invited to work with invited to make jewellery for the Queen.

Brooches

Victorian Brooch History

You may not see many Brooches as part of design trends today but during the Victorian era they were a staple of the fashion at the time. Brooches of the time served not only as a fashion statement but also expressed personal sentiment & social trends. During the Romantic period brooches featured much happier themes such as hearts, bows and flowers symbolising the love and affection feelings around that time. 

As the era entered into the Mid-Victorian period, the designs of brooches followed the themes of the period. They became much more sombre and had much darker themes. They started featuring jet, onyx and black enamel as did most of the jewellery of the time. The detailed craftsmanship did maintain throughout the whole Victorian Period often times these details were much more important as they were remembering a loved one who had passed away. 

As we entered the final period, you guessed it! Brooches really followed the trends of the time. The mourning period was over and the designs of brooches started to incorporate art & nature. During this time jewellery shifted to having beautiful pieces just because you liked them instead of having a deeper meaning. This meant we saw a exploration of different peoples styles and interests. We say more playful mix of mixing colours, materials and gemstones to really showcase someones personality. 

Rings

Rings of the Victorian age are world famous for their amazing details and rich symbolism. One design trend that defined rings of the period were serpent designs these indicated eternal love and were a big favourite of Queen Victoria. Rings of the time also often had worlds engraved into them such as "dearest" or "regard" to show the reciever of the ring how much you cared about them. It really shows how the people of the time were feeling and it comes across in their jewellery.

This diversity in design and symbolism makes Victorian rings highly collectible and cherished pieces of antique jewellery today. I think the diversity of the rings is a perfect example of how jewellery changed over time, they began very whimsical, then entered the mourning period then came out of the mourning period seeing people really want to express themselves. 

Victorian engagement rings were so different from today, one big trend of the time was for the main gemstone of the ring to be the birthstone of the receiver. For example if the person was born in January the main gemstone would have been the Garnet. The image you see relating to this part is a ruby meaning the person was likely born in July. The popular stone shape of the time was the rose cut or the table cut. 

Related: Birthstone Guides

Victorian Jewellery at Ramsdens

Here at Ramsdens jewellery we boast a stunning selection of Vintage and Victorian inspired jewellery. We have rings, pendants, necklaces and much more for anyone looking to expand their jewellery collect. We offer shipping straight to your home or we can deliver to your closest Ramsdens branch, we have 160+ stores nationwide so your sure to be close! 

We hope you've learned a thing or two about Victorian Jewellery and if you want  to keep expanding your jewellery knowledge we have more guides dating right through-out history and are continuing to expand our library.