Victorian
The main reason for investing in Estate and Antique Jewelry, is the fact that while investing in a piece of art, it may also be worn to complement fashion and beauty. Many collectors enjoy Estate Jewelry for its historic and intrinsic value, and many appreciate jewels from a past era that rivals modern styles with antique charm.
Many buyers of estate and antique jewelry associate the majority of old pieces of jewelry with the Victorian era. There are many different characteristics that may identify those that are indeed verifiably Victorian during the reign of Queen Victoria of England(1837-1901).
Jewelers were responding to technological advances of the times, including the new invention of the steam engine in the 1850’s. By the late 1800’s, steam was being widely used in the mass production of jewelry. This caused jewelry to drop in quality, while at the same time it stimulated sales and the affordability of jewely as a whole, while it simultaneously worked for all those jewelers for whom craftsmanship was paramount.
The following design traits and characteristics should help a fellow collector of Estate Jewelry identify original Victorian pieces.
The early Victorian pieces of Gold jewelry were all 18K to 22K. The Stamp Act of 1854, made gold content to be standardized at 9K, 12K, or 15K and required the pieces to be stamped and hallmarked. Some other popular metals of that period included silver backed by gold and rolled gold plate, as well as silver alone. Whenever a diamond was used, they were set in a white metal to enhance their natural beauty.
Nature was a popular theme by Victorian artists including tree’s,birds, and. The early Victorian period jewelry incorporated delicate designs with beautiful engravings. Eventually the jewelry changed into the more conservative and heavy designs that the Victorian period is known for.
Many of the popular materials used in Victorian pieces were seed pearls and coral.
The ending of the Victorian era was highly influenced by archeological expeditions in Egypt, which now elightened the western hemisphere of ancient Egyptian jewelry. Designers worked quickly to capitalize on the enormous demand for reproductions of ancient Egyptian jewelry.
With the passing of Queen Victoria, there was a new stage setting for new jewelry designs and manufacturing techniques. With decades of extreme conservative styles and designs, there was now a need for breaking from traditional ways. The seed was planted and sprouting, and eventually this grew and spawned a new era with an Art Nouveau period to launch the new century.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 at 5:53 am and is filed under jewelry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.