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Jewellery for Sale
The Victorian and Edwardian Jewellery
on the site has been chosen with great care to provide a wide choice
of antique items, all of which were the height of fashion in their
day. Most of the items are classic pieces which have not become dated
and can be worn with modern fashions. A lot of the antique pieces
were hand made and so retain their individuality. If you browse through
the many brooches, earrings and rings, you may see similarities but
you will never see an item duplicated, unlike modern jewellery which
is mass produced on a very large scale.
In the 18th century, precious jewellery was the privelege of the wealthy few
and pieces were made on a small scale, only for those who could afford it Most
pieces would be individually commissioned for that special person or for an occasion.
By the mid 19th century the disposable income of the middle and working classes
had begun to rise and so jewellery became more widely available to more people,
although it was still worn mainly by the upper classes..
Victorian jewellery is usually ornate and decorative
and sometimes rather ostentatious but as the century progressed, styles
became more open and lighter and more angular, often showing oriental
influence, and becoming more wearable with day clothes.
Most jewellery was hand made up to 1850 after which machine made jewellery
was introduced, although it was not mass produced in the same quantities
as it is today.
Hand made pieces are always more desirable than machine made or mass produced
articles as they are individually designed and rarely duplicated.
Bar brooches enjoyed a surge of popularity in the 1890s because of the fashion
for high collars, you will see hundreds of examples both stone set and plain
but you rarely see two that are exactly the same. They were made in silver, 9ct
gold, 15ct gold and 18ct gold, also in jet, ivory, bone and base metal.
High quality examples often in 18ct or 15ct gold are very collectable and usually
stand out from the others.
Most 19th century jewellery is 15ct which is quite yellow due to the higher carat
and gold content. 15ct, 12ct and 9ct were introduced in 1854 and 12ct and 15ct
were discontinued in 1932 when 14ct was introduced. The carat decimal for 15ct
is .625 and the item should also carry the town mark , makers mark and date letter.
Between the years 1784 and 1890, the sovereigns head was struck to show that
duty had been paid. Although many valuable items escaped paying duty and do not
carry a hallmark, they are made of precious metal. |
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Etruscan style applied gold work was fashionable in the late 19th century
and can be seen adorning many intricate designs on earrings ,brooches
and pendants typical of this period .
There was not much jewellery made for men during this period as it was
not fashionable, apart from cravat pins, watch chains and rings.
Most Victorian pendants and brooches have small lockets on the back for
a lock of hair or a photograph, often the glass or metal frame has gone
missing over the years. but the tell tale shape of the locket back remains
to bear witness to the treasured picture or lock of hair it once held.
Diamond jewellery was popular in the 19th century and up to the present
day although the specific value depends on the individual piece as well
as the quality of the diamonds, which can differ enormously from piece
to piece.
The closed settings used in the mounting of 19th century diamonds are either
silver or gold or even silver on gold and because the back of the setting is
closed thus preventing light reflecting behind the stone ,much of the brilliance
is lost. To counteract this a foil back was added between the stone and the setting
,this was always silver for a diamond and various colours for coloured stones.
Diamond jewellery can be dated by the different cutting of the stones
The Victorians used rose cut, brilliant cut and table or cushion cut diamonds.
Topical subjects were often portrayed in jewellery and in 1834 Halleys comet
caused great interest and had many brooches, earrings and pendants made in its
form..
Many lunar jewels were made in the form of brooches, tiaras ,and necklaces representing
comets stars and crescents which are still popular today.
Jewellery became more affordable in the 19th century with the world wide discovery
of sapphire from Kashmir ,opals from Australia, gold from California, demantoid
garnets from Russia and diamonds from South Africa where the Kimberly mine was
founded in 1871. |
