Articles - Periods

The Georgian Era refers to the years 1714 to 1837 in British history, during the reigns of kings George I through to George IV and William IV, primarily the reign of king George III, or the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th Century.

By the beginning of the 1800s, as the first Industrial Revolution was underway, jewelry became more affordable by the growing middle classes. Georgian jewelry was characteristically made of colorful gemstones and paste stones cut to resemble diamonds. A foil was placed behind the stone, inside the mounting, to enhance the luster and color of the stone. Another characteristic of the Georgian jewelry was the rosette and spiral design. This kind of design was made with filigree to give the jewelry volume, without adding to its weight (and price).

Other popular pieces of jewelry of this period were cameos, micro mosaic, Berlin Iron jewelry and cut steel, mourning jewelry (made of hair, onyx and black enamel) as well as portrait jewelry, which were painted as miniatures on parchment.

The Victorian Era refers to the period of Queen Victoria's reign in the United Kingdom during the years 1837 to 1901. The jewelry of the time reflected to a large degree the Queen's life events and personal tastes. The predominant design in the earlier part of the period, during the "romantic years" of the royal couple, was the snake motif, a symbol of eternal love and wisdom. This was extremely popular in necklaces, bracelets, rings, and brooches. Also common was the hand motif, symbolizing friendship.

Much of the jewelry of the period was typically large and luxuriant, inlaid with pearls and diamonds. Characteristic jewelry of the time included gold link-bracelets with gemstones or enamel; Albert chains made of gold or silver; pendants and brooches studded with coral, ivory, tortoise shell and seed pearls. Cameo and intaglio jewelry, carved on various gemstones, were also sought after, as well as micro mosaic jewels, which were the influence of recent archaeological excavations, not least the Pompeii finds.

In 1861, following the death of Prince Albert, mourning jewelry reigned supreme for about 25 years. These were dominated by black and were normally made of the coal-black jet stone, onyx, and black enamel. Also popular were memorial jewelry decorated with the loved one's hair. By the end of the 1800s, the mourning period was over and smaller and brighter jewelry were making a comeback. The turn of the century also saw the increasing popularity of costume jewelry, which were made of fake materials and were therefore much more affordable.

Art Nouveau defines a style, especially in the decorative arts, that was flourishing during the years 1890 to the beginning of World War I. Art Nouveau (French for "new art") started in Paris and soon swept across Europe and America. It was applied mainly in the decorative arts, including a range of visual arts such as posters (Alfons Maria Mucha), furniture, jewelry, and architecture (Gaudí in Barcelona).

Reacting against mass production techniques, Art Nouveau artists reverted to manual methods of production, putting a strong emphasis on aesthetics and ornamentation. Flowing lines and curves, and asymmetrical shapes, were characteristic of the style. Art Nouveau artists and designers adopted motifs from the natural world – intertwining branches, butterflies, dragonflies, and above all female figures, female faces, and flowing luxurious hair. The style was strongly influenced by Japanese art.

In Art Nouveau jewelry, female faces were decorated with gemstones, mainly curved stones such as opals and moonstones. Beautiful and aesthetic, the jewelry of the time included necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings, and brooches.

The Art Deco period began around1920 until 1935. It was a design style that had been developed in France, in the post First World War years, in protest against the over embellishment of Art Nouveau. The new style was all about geometrical and abstract shapes and straight, clean lines. These modern, more austere trends, started to appear in architecture and various areas of the decorative arts, spreading throughout Europe and particularly the USA. Art Deco jewelry, also, were characterized by geometrical motifs and sharply zigzagged lines.

Significant social developments during this time meant improve status for women and a move towards "liberation", a trend which produced a lighter approach to women's clothing. The waistline dropped, while necklaces and strings got longer and lower. Short haircut style was all the rage, a style which, with the ears now in view, was well suited to long earrings. Sleeves were also dispended with, and women were covering their arms with paired bangles instead. Rings were frequently designed in geometrical shapes and set with diamonds and gems.

In the more prestigious jewelry, platinum, white gold, diamonds and pearls were widely used, giving the artifact its "white looks", a feature which had its roots in Edwardian times and continued well into the 1930s. Other jewelry was designed with Bakelite, celluloid, tortoiseshell, and ivory.

Art Deco was greatly influenced by the exotic, ethnic are of the Far East, particularly China and Japan, as well as India, Africa, ancient Egypt, Mexico and American Indian art.

Edwardian jewelry was popular in England during the reign of Edward VII, 1901-1910, and flourished concurrently with the Art Nouveau style.

Edwardian jewelry is known for its delicacy and fine craftsmanship. It was opulently decorated with precious gemstones, particularly diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The settings were extremely masterly and "thin". The use of white gold was prominent.

Popular among Edwardian jewelry were necklaces and collars, crowns, rings and hanging earrings.

Retro is a term used for describing a style of jewelry popular during the 1940s and 1950s.

Retro jewelry started to develop during the mid 1930s, and was big, bold and three-dimensional. In contrast with the geometrical severity of the Art Deco period, the new retro style called for curving lines and asymmetrical forms. The style also drew on nature for motifs, which were designed in big proportions and were highly stylized rather than abstract.

Flowers, bows, ribbons, and ruffles, mainly in gold, red and yellow, were characteristic of Retro. Jewelry pieces were massive but were mostly hollow and were set – in addition to diamonds – with synthetic rubies and sapphires, in accordance with wartime constraints.

Prevalent in Retro style were wide, gold mesh bracelets made of small flexible links (beehive), as well as pipe-like, stiff bracelets set with one big gemstone. Also fashionable were the "clip" brooches, usually double clip, clutching the clothing with springy clamps.

As to rings, many of the Retro rings were tall and striking and set with one massive gemstone – aquamarine or citron. Other rings were bow shaped or asymmetrical, encrusted with small diamonds.