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![glitzqueeninBBC[1]](../assets/images/glitzqueeninBBC_1_.jpg "glitzqueeninBBC[1]") GLITZQUEEN Holds Court On
Rings & Bracelets Part 9
Jewels of the Victorian Era (1837-1901)
 Just 18 when crowned, Victoria was to become the greatest single influence on international style for almost a century. Worship of Classical styles was already declining in 1840, when she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, but she chose a serpent-shaped ring. Symbolizing eternal love, it set the tone for the Early Victorian Romantic Period. Devoted to her husband and growing family, Victoria often wore sentimental jewelry, such as a charm bracelet hung with lockets and family crests. Another favorite wrapped her wrist with mini-portraits of the kids.
 Seed Pearl Bracelet.
Lattice-Woven Pearls. Gold Clasp.
Sold by Finan & Co.
Miniature painting, BTW, had branched out into landscapes, such as the enameled ivory plaque on this Swiss gold and diamond bracelet.
Because daytime fashions for ladies were very covered-up, wrist and hand jewelry dominated. Bracelets were *the* must-have jewels throughout the Victorian era. Wealthy women owned as many as 60, chosen for certain outfits or occasions. Some were pairs, but they were worn also in larger groups. Ladies piled on rings, too -- Victoria often wore more than one  per finger -- and men found a new reason to wear them, when class rings caught on (after introduction of the first ones at West Point in 1835).
Highland Stag Bracelet. Ivory. Sold by Finan & Co.
 Agate Bracelet. Sold by Finan & Co.
Victoria loved jewelry, but had firm views about what should be worn when and by whom. As we discussed before, she relegated diamonds to evening wear and permitted them at court only on married women whose husbands presumably bestowed them. On single gals, they were judged vulgar displays of inherited wealth or, worse, gifts from lovers. Deemed decorous for day were seed pearls, ivory, coral, amber, malachite, cut steel, tortoiseshell and mosaics. Many stones were cabochons, which had a "folk art" air even more trendy after the queen acquired Balmoral. Her passion for holidays at her "dear paradise in the Highlands" made a rage of Celtic  styles and "pebble" jewels with agates and cairngorms.
Agate Bracelet. Sold by Finan & Co.
Gold was under no taboo, but scarce, so vermeil was warmly welcomed back when the mercury-free process of electroplating developed in the 1840s. The practice of setting stones (particularly diamonds)in silver continued, but grew less common as the century went on.
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Early Victorian Flowerhead Ring. Diamonds, Gold & Silver. Sold by GlitzQueen
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Early Victorian Flowerhead Ring. Ruby, Diamonds, Gold & Silver. At Heirloom Jewelry.
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 Mid-19th c. Bracelet. Gilt Brass, Faux Diamonds & Pearls. Sold by GlitzQueen
The next decade brought gold discoveries in America (1849) and Australia (1852). Mandatory gold marking in Britain followed in 1854, along with legalization of 9, 12 and 15 karat. (Before then most English gold was unmarked 18k.) The change was sparked by foreign competition, much from Italy, where the Castellani shop in Rome wooed travelers with replicas of ancient jewels. The famed Etruscan tombs had opened in 1836, sparking a revival of historic styles. By mid-century, jewels were made not  only in Etruscan and Classical styles but also medieval (Victorian "Gothick") and Renaissance, which brought back vivid enamels; Baroque/Rococo and, after Thomas Cook launched pyramid tours around 1850, Egyptian. Another influence was Japan, with which trade began in 1853.
1858 Bracelet Given by Victoria to a Niece. Gold, Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies & Queen's Portrait.
Mid-19th c. Renaissance Revival Bracelet by Hunt & Roskell (London).
Enameled Gold, Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies, Pearls & Diamonds. Brazilian "Snake" Chain Band.
 Aluminum Bracelet. 1850s.
The 1850s also brought aluminum, more costly at first than gold, and machines to stamp jewelry parts, which put jewels within almost everyone's reach. Styles tended to be sentimental standbys like lovebirds, love-knots and clasped hands; religious symbols such as "the anchor of hope" and "heart of charity"; lucky clovers and horseshoes; floral motifs that conveyed messages in the "language of flowers" then known to all; and acrostics set with varied stones (faux for the masses). As ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst and diamond had indicated "regard" since Georgian days,  "dear" was spelled by diamond, emerald, amethyst and ruby, etc. "Mother" rings looked similar, being made up of children's birthstones. Chain began to get daintier, after the costly process of forming each link by hand was abandoned.
Roman Mosaic Bracelet., Mid-19th c. Gold & Glass.
 Mourning Ring. 1860-80. Enameled Gold. Sold byGranite Pail Collectibles.
Toward the end of this period, jewels grew bigger and bolder, because there was plenty of gold. This was even more true during the next part of Victoria's reign, the Grand Period. It's linked both to vast imperial wealth and to Albert's untimely demise in 1861. The onset of Victoria's endless grief coincided with the American civil war, from which an army of widows ensued. Some date this era from 1850 instead of 1860, which nicely parallels the gold discoveries and the French Second Empire (1852-70). However, it misses the "mourning" aspect. Bereaved English-speakers followed Vicky's Rules and wore black for a year and a day, accessorizing only with onyx, jet, gutta percha, vulcanite, ebony glass (aka French jet ), etc.. During later "half-mourning," garnets and amethysts were allowed and pearls (symbolizing tears) could be freely used.
Renaissance Revival Ring. Mid-19th c.
Gold & Carved Carnelian Cameo. Sold by GlitzQueen.
 Etruscan Revival Bracelet with Twist Closure. English. Gilt. Sold by GlitzQueen.
For those not bereft, the multitude of Revivalist styles kept gaining popularity and magnificence. Further attention was drawn to ancient Egypt by construction of the Suez Canal and general awareness of archeological discoveries was fostered by new public museums and international expositions that featured glories of the past alongside the latest inventions. Thanks to big shows in the 1860s, Oriental influence heightened and, when Victoria became Empress of India in 1876, Mughal jewels were a craze.
 Another feature of this period is mechanical inventiveness in bracelet fasteners. Many examples from the 1870s have patent dates that allow precise dating.
Late 19th c. Bracelet Silver, Vermeil & Enamel. Sold by Finan & Co.
The 1870s also brought loads of diamonds from Africa, where major mines had recently been found. Due to their plentitude -- along with advances in gem-cutting and mounting, plus better room lighting -- colored stones lost their appeal for evening.
Not everyone was impressed by all this glitter and grandeur, or in love with the past. There was growing concern about the present: both social evils chronicled by writers like Dickens and the fact that mechanical production was reducing quality. Of course the luxury market wasn't compromised by the Industrial Revolution, but the grandiose scale of things seemed tastelessly garish to many. In reaction, during the Late Victorian Aesthetic Period, craftsmanship and imagination were honored, instead of cost and size. When it came to jewelry, people chose smaller, less valuable pieces and wore fewer of them, but wanted the jewelry they owned to be well-made and interesting. The Aesthetic Period is usually dated from 1880 or 1885, but the trend began decades sooner. As early as 1851, artsy types were horrified by London's  "Great Exhibition" (Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations). Within a few years, this budding disdain for mass-production and general excess gave birth to groups like the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, incubators of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Late 19th c. Chinoiserie Ring. Brass & Early Plastic. Sold by GlitzQueen.
Arts and Crafts style began emerging in the 1860s, characterized by playful, at times exotic, motifs; cabochon stones and unexpected materials. In 1875, the avant-garde clamored for it at the new Liberty shop in London and, by the 1880s, it was mainstream. Fostering the shift from ostentation were the sporty young Royals who took over official duties when Victoria vanished into deep mourning. The Danish princess Alexandra, who wed Albert Edward (aka Bertie, later Edward VII) in 1863, grew up in modest circumstances, since her army officer dad was never expected to be king. By contrast to Vicky, whose formality led the older set, Alix set trends for her contemporaries, including the first wave of young ladies with university educations and careers. This long period of counterpoint makes it impossible to draw a firm line between the Grand and Aesthetic Periods or even between Victorian and Edwardian design.
 Art Nouveau Lion Mask Ring Silver & Rubies. Sold by GlitzQueen.
The Aesthetic taste for natural forms evolved toward stylization, first in the simplifying Arts and Crafts manner and then (from the 1880s) in the fantasy of Art Nouveau. While many jewels "scream" one style or the other, the two design currents met frequently, as in the rings below. They have unusual cabochon stones in bezel settings, which is classic Arts & Crafts, along with curvy Nouveau scrollwork.
 
Rings Showing Combined Arts & Crafts & Art Nouveau Influences. Silver with Amber (at left) and Blister Pearl. 1890s. Sold by GlitzQueen.
 Art Nouveau Snake Bracelet. Silver. Sold by GlitzQueen.
Both movements were reactions to the factory age, so it's ironic that over-commercialism killed them. As was noted last time, be very cautious when collecting these items. Even a famous name on a jewel is no assurance that s/he made it. Charles Horner, for instance, was dead when "his" factory opened. Similarly, Lalique and Whiting & Davis designs have been periodically reissued and outright fakes have been plentiful since the 1960s.  When evaluating any ring or bracelet supposedly from this period, look for age-appropriate wear. It should be easy to spot, since Art Nouveau was emphatically Over at the end of the World War I. The Arts and Crafts tradition endured longer, merging with early Modernism, but even jewels from the 1930s will show wear except in extraordinary circumstances. Also beware of supposedly antique silver marked 925. (I've never seen 925 on anything older than the 1930s, although I won't say it can't possibly happen.)
Art Nouveau Ring. Rose Gold & Emeralds. Sold by GlitzQueen.
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1896 Half-Hoop Ring. Hallmarked Birmingham. Gold & Diamonds. Sold by Finan & Co.
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"Buckle" Bracelet & Ring. 1890s. English. Gold & Pearls.Sold by Finan & Co
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1900 Art Nouveau Watch Ring. Swiss. Enameled Gold & Diamonds.
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GlitzQueen - otherwise known as Katherine Harris and Erin, for short - has been an eager collector of historic jewels for about 20 years and in marketing, advertising and journalism for considerably longer. The GlitzQueen shops online were launched in 1996 as a self-assigned “lab project” to learn about e-Commerce and have been entirely too delightful to stop. The jewelry biz now occupies about as much of her time as her activities as a marketing consultant and a “literary” writer, who recently completed a stage play and is at work on a novel. She emphasizes her debt to her former neighbors in the trade, Joan and Derek Curtis of Newmarket in England, who generously taught her about antiques and then goaded her into entering “The Great Antiques Hunt,” on BBC, from which she emerged after loads of good fun as a winner. 
