Antique Jewellery

During the late Georgian period, a time of social and political upheaval, jewellery designs often included flowers, leaves or birds. Diamonds were extremely rare at this time and generally only accessible to Royalty.

Somewhat less rare is Victorian jewellery. The Romantic period reflected the sentimentality around the marriage of Victoria and Albert but, after Prince Albert’s death in 1861, came the Grand Period with dark gems such as garnets and jets more appropriate for mourning. The atmosphere started to lighten in the early 1880s, culminating in the Aesthetic Movement. Diamonds were discovered in Africa and became much more affordable.
From the late 1800s to about 1915, Art Nouveau dominated the design and style of jewellery, taking its inspiration from nature. One of the genre’s foremost designers was Rene Jules Lalique who moved back to individually-crafted designs and incorporated new enamelling techniques from the Orient.

Edwardian jewellery reflects a time of refinement and extravagance when the motor and movie industries were in ascendancy. Jewellery became much less formal and designs emerged which produced more flamboyant fashion accessories.