Antique Victorian Jewellery

Spanning 63 years, the Victorian era saw fashions come and go. The influence of the royal family permeated Victorian culture and three distinct periods of Queen Victoria’s life became markers for cultural shifts which each spanned a generation. By Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, jewellery designs had evolved fully, and Victorian rings, necklaces, earrings, and brooches are still popular today.

The Victorian era was a time of change and it seems like every facet of culture was affected – including, of course, fashion and jewellery. The Industrial Revolution was well in its stride, and the mass-production techniques it brought with it made jewellery cheaper to buy.

In Victorian jewellery, gemstones were often set in low-carat gold making vintage gold engagement rings popular, allowing the colours of the gems to take centre stage, surrounded with ornate symbolism and motifs, seen in vintage opal jewellery, for example.

In a society where etiquette dictated how freely people were able to interact with each other, jewellery in the Victorian era became a way for people to express themselves. Later in the period, during the Grand Period after the death of Prince Albert, mourning jewellery rose in popularity. It included black stones such as onyx and jet, but other gems such as rubies and garnets were often set alongside black enamel.

Today, Victorian jewellery is still popular amongst antique jewellery buyers because of its intricate and unusual designs. As it was the first era of mass production, a lot of vintage Victorian jewellery is relatively affordable, with antique Victorian rings rising in popularity as the perfect engagement ring for anyone who loves timeless jewellery.