Victorian Jewelry refers to the styles of jewelry that were fashionable during the reign of Queen Victoria. She was Queen of England from 1837 to 1901, and was very influential with women of her time. She loved to wear jewelry, and whatever caught her fancy turned into fashion. Many distinctive themes were used in Victorian jewelry.
Sentimental Jewelry - lockets with family pictures, jewelry with hearts, bows and romantic sayings, and jewelry made from the hair of a loved one (living or deceased).
Nature Inspired Jewelry - jewelry with animal and floral motifs, including trees, birds, insects, and seashells, flowers(highly symbolic), and serpents (which represented eternity, wisdom, and good luck).
Scottish Jewelry - influenced by Victoria's Scottish ancestry, Scottish motifs were popular - knots, buckles, heraldic crests and native stones like agate, citrine, cairngorm, and bloodstone.
Ancient Jewelry - archeological finds during this time (in Egypt, Italy and Greece) captured the imagination of the Victorian's and influenced jewelry designs. Reproductions were made of Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Etruscan styles, including cameos and mosaics.
Mourning Jewelry - with the unexpected death of Victoria's husband Albert in 1861, she and the entire nation went into a long period of mourning. This caused a high demand for jewelry made with black enamel, jet, and onyx.
Semi-precious stones - semi-precious stones were affordable and popular - garnet, amethyst, coral, turquoise, seed pearls, and opals (one of Victoria's favorite stones).
Intricate Gold Designs - popular looks were multicolor gold work, scrollwork, engraving, and filigree work.
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