Saturday, November 27, 2021

Antique Jewelry from the 19th Century and Beyond


 From The Zoe Report:

Queen Victoria’s long reign heavily influenced the jewelry style of this era. "It initially embodied romantic jewelry with floral motifs and themes symbolizing love, later transitioning to black enamel details to represent the mourning period after Prince Albert’s [passing],” Gambale says. Freund breaks down this extensive era into a few main periods. Romantic (1837-1860), with “influences in this era including Classical, Gothic, Renaissance, and Ancient Greek and Roman mythology,” Freund says. “Interestingly, serpents became a popular motif after Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria a snake engagement ring.” Then there was the Grand Period (1861-1880), after Prince Albert passed away. “Black mourning jewelry became the trend and featured darker motifs like skulls and skeletons using onyx or black glass,” he says. “Cameos also grew in popularity.” And lastly, the Aesthetic Period (1881-1901), which is punctuated by jewelry motifs like peacocks, flowers, insects and Japanese-inspired forms. “Diamonds were downgraded from ultra-luxurious jewels to a style that could be worn for every day for a more modest approach to jewelry,” Freund notes. (Read more.)

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

I misread it as 9th century at first. Now that would be something!