Victorian jewellery began with the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837. This youthful queen was passionate about jewelry. Besides wearing jewellery she often had her own designs crafted. She loved giving jewelry as gifts particularly charm bracelets and charm necklaces. Every New Year the queen gave members of her family and her circle of friends’ gifts of these charm bracelets and necklaces.
This was the time of the beginning of the industrial revolution and mass production. The Queen’s preferences were soon adopted and produced by the trades jewellers and goldsmiths. Her jewellery choice for mourning jewelry was predominant after the death of her husband, Albert.
Mourning Jewellery
When Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria once again influenced jewelry design and production. For the remainder of her life, she was in permanent mourning, wearing only black clothes and black jewels. Jet, a driftwood fossil that gained sudden public popularity for jewelry manufacture was among the Queen’s favourites. Besides Jet crosses, Jet pins and earrings, and carved Jet chains, items that used to be made in gems, glass, and metal. All now appeared produced in Jet. Another popular item in mourning jewellery of the time was a locket holding a lock of the dead loved one’s hair.
What the industrial revolution brought about
As the industrial revolution gained momentum, manufacturing techniques became more affordable. Pressed glass was used for glass intaglios, stamped and cast metal was introduced for settings, and machinery for chain making came about. This meant that jewellery selections were not confined only to nobility or the very wealthy. It became available for all people to buy for the finishing touch to their wardrobes.
In the beginning however, many Victorian women rebelled at the machine made jewellery at first sight, even though many pieces were of a very high standard.
At the start of the 1800’s, hand-carved semi-precious gem intaglio or cameo was rare, making it a treasured possession. From about 1807 hand carved Conch shell cameos began to gain in popularity. It was so much easier to carve a shell than stone, and so a new form of production artistry emerged. Travellers would return from Italy with carved shell cameo necklaces, rings, and earrings or even lava stone cameos carved from the coloured lava of Mt. Vesuvius.
Edellie, a jewellery online shop offers you varied and interesting selections of jewellery.
