Victorian jewelry is jewelry made during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. Historians usually split it into three periods: the Romantic period of sentimental gold and gemstone pieces, the Grand period of dark mourning jewelry and heavy revival styles, and the lighter Aesthetic or late Victorian period, when newly found South African diamonds became widely available. Victoria's own tastes, from love tokens to decades of mourning, shaped fashion throughout.
The Romantic period, about 1837 to 1860
Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, and the early decades of her reign favored sentiment. Albert gave her an engagement ring in the shape of a snake with an emerald head, and snake jewelry, a symbol of eternal love, became very popular. Other common motifs were hearts, hands, flowers, birds, bows and knots.
Jewelers in this period worked mostly in gold, often in low-karat or rolled gold as the growing middle class bought jewelry. Repousse and cannetille (fine coiled gold wirework) decorated brooches and bracelets. Seed pearls, garnets, coral, turquoise and amethysts were favorite stones. Lockets held portraits or locks of hair.
Victorian sentiment had its own codes:
- Forget-me-nots in turquoise for remembrance
- Ivy for fidelity
- Clasped hands for friendship or marriage
- An anchor, cross and heart together for hope, faith and charity
Acrostic rings
An acrostic ring spells a word using the first letter of each stone. The most common was REGARD: ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby, diamond. DEAREST (diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz) was another. The fashion began in France in the early 19th century and spread through Victorian Britain. Acrostic jewelry let the giver send a private message that only those who knew the code could read. The gemstone meanings page covers other traditional associations of this kind.
The Grand period, about 1861 to 1880
Prince Albert died in December 1861, and Victoria wore mourning for the rest of her life. The court followed her lead, and so did much of the country. Mourning rules set out what a widow could wear and for how long, and black jewelry became fashionable well beyond those in grief.
The Grand period also brought heavier, bolder designs. Archaeological revival jewelry, inspired by excavations in Italy, Greece and Egypt, became fashionable. The Castellani family in Rome and Carlo Giuliano in London made granulated gold in the Etruscan manner. Scottish jewelry, with agate and silver brooches in Celtic designs, gained popularity after Victoria bought Balmoral Castle. Renaissance revival pieces with enamel and pendants drew on the period covered on our Renaissance jewelry page.
Mourning jewelry and Whitby jet
Jet is a black organic gem, a form of lignite formed from fossilized wood under pressure. The finest came from the cliffs around Whitby on the Yorkshire coast of England. Whitby jet can be carved and polished to a deep black luster and is very light, so large brooches and long necklaces stayed comfortable.
Whitby's jet workshops grew rapidly in the mid-19th century and employed a large number of workers at their peak. Carvers made cameos, beads, lockets and bracelets. Jet's popularity led to imitations:
- French jet, which is black glass, heavier and colder to the touch
- Vulcanite, a hardened rubber that can smell of sulfur when rubbed
- Bog oak, black wood preserved in Irish peat bogs, pressed or carved
- Gutta-percha, a molded natural latex
Our page on wood and petrified wood in jewelry covers jet and bog oak more fully. Mourning jewelry also used black enamel, onyx, and gold rings inscribed "In Memory Of" with names and dates.
Hair jewelry
Victorians used human hair as a jewelry material, in both mourning and love tokens. Hair could be kept under glass in a locket or brooch, arranged in curls or patterns. Specialists, called hairworkers, braided and wove hair into bracelets, watch chains, earrings and necklaces, often finished with gold fittings. Some women made their own from published instructions.
Hair jewelry let people keep a physical part of a loved one, living or dead. Because it was so personal, few pieces were reused, and a lot of it survives. Collectors look for fine, even weaving and original gold mounts.
The Aesthetic or late period, about 1880 to 1901
By the 1880s, fashion moved away from heavy mourning styles. Jewelry became lighter and more delicate. Small brooches in the shapes of stars, crescents, insects and flowers became popular, often set with diamonds or seed pearls. Bar brooches, bangles and lace pins were common.
The Aesthetic movement and the design reformers around William Morris reacted against mass production. They favored hand-made silver, enamel and cabochon stones such as moonstone and opal, and paved the way for Art Nouveau.
South African diamonds
Diamonds were found in South Africa in 1867, starting with the Eureka diamond, and the rush that followed led to the Kimberley mine and others. South African output soon far exceeded anything India or Brazil had supplied. Diamonds, once the preserve of royalty and aristocrats, became accessible to the wealthy middle class. The South African diamond mines page covers the discoveries.
Late Victorian jewelers used old mine cut diamonds, often set in silver over gold so the white metal showed off the stones while gold backed the piece. Platinum was not yet common in jewelry. Cluster rings, diamond stars, crescent brooches and tiaras were fashionable. The old European and old mine cuts page explains why these stones look softer and more glowing in candlelight than modern brilliants.
Other Victorian materials
Victorians took up many new and exotic materials as travel and trade expanded. Shell cameos from Italy were popular souvenirs. Coral came from the Mediterranean, carved at Torre del Greco. Pique, tortoiseshell inlaid with gold and silver, was used for brooches and earrings. Opals from Australia arrived in quantity late in the century. Gold rushes in California and Australia from the late 1840s and 1850s increased the supply of gold.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three periods of Victorian jewelry?
They are the Romantic period (about 1837 to 1860), the Grand period (about 1861 to 1880) and the Aesthetic or late Victorian period (about 1880 to 1901). The dates are approximate.
What is Whitby jet?
Whitby jet is a black, lightweight organic gem formed from fossilized wood, found near Whitby in Yorkshire. It was the most fashionable material for Victorian mourning jewelry.
What does a REGARD ring mean?
A REGARD ring is an acrostic ring with stones whose first letters spell REGARD: ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby, diamond. It was a sentimental gift of affection.
Why did Victorians make jewelry from hair?
Hair jewelry let people keep a physical reminder of a loved one, whether as a love token or a memorial after death. Hair was woven into bracelets and chains or kept in lockets.