Antique jewellery is highly desirable and very collectable and can demand very high prices when sold in an online jewellery auction. Victorian antique jewellery is no exception and is one of the most popular eras for antique jewellery collectors.
The Victorian era dates from around 1837 to the 1900’s and as such any jewellery items produced within this period are now classified ad antique Victorian jewellery. The pieces usually associated with this era are often categorised into three main periods, Romantic, Grand and Aesthetic and were heavily influenced by Queen Victoria.
The Romantic period took sentimentality and symbolism as its muse and began around the time Queen Vitoria married Prince Albert. Common motifs included song birds, hearts and flowers and favoured gems included pearls, coral and topaz with each piece having sentimental values lovingly attached.
Following Prince Albert’s death in 1861, a period of mourning was also reflected in the jewellery of that time which became much darker and heavy set with dark gem stones such as garnet becoming popular. This period is referred to as the Grand period and it was during this time that increased travel brought foreign influence to the UK’s jewellery market.
The year 1880 saw the beginning of the Aesthetic period and the resurgence of more light hearted pieces emblazoned with Crescent moons and butterflies with jewellery pieces being chosen for their aesthetic beauty. More significantly the Industrial Revolution which took place within this period brought with it mass production techniques therefore wider reaching jewellery ranges for the upper and middle classes.
Mass production also brought with it different standards and quality of jewels with the introduction of various gold carats. Today, Victorian jewellery is just as popular as it was back then, the only difference is that jewellery from that era is now considered to be antique thus affecting its value and cultural significance.
Online auction platforms have enabled antique jewellery dealers and collectors to exchange and sell highly valuable and collectable jewellery on a global scale and none more so than CQout, another significant jewellery period, the ‘Arts and Crafts’ era will be discussed in a future blog so keep posted!
