The Edwardian Jewelry Period

The Edwardian Jewelry Era was a short period of jewelry style that lasted only a decade during the rule of England’s King Edward VII. This era of jewelry was a wide variety of styles and tastes. Although only lasting for a short while, this is the most common form of vintage jewelry you will find today. During this time in history jewelry was easier to manufacturer due to new technology and this therefore reduced the cost of jewelry so more people could afford jewelry pieces. During this time there were other styles of jewelry such as the Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts Era.

Diamonds, white gold and platinum were popular during the Edwardian era of jewelry. Platinum was available in earlier era but it was too difficult to work with. During this era, new technology made it easier and more practical to manufacture jewelry. New designs were being made that could blend in with current fabric tastes such as lace and silk.

The Millegrain and Invisible settings made it possible to make light designs and new gem stone cutting techniques opened up many more options. Millegrain setting were used to secure stones with ridges to tiny beads surrounding it. The edge of the metal was used to make openwork designs with platinum and gold with a design known as knife edges.

There were many styles of Edwardian jewelry style of necklaces made popular during this time and many can still be found for those looking to collect vintage jewelry. One style was the negligee which featured two pendants at unequal lengths or a necklace without a clasp draped around the neck with the ends looped. A second style was the Sautoir which was a long necklace made from beads that dropped below the waist with a tassel on the end. Lastly there was the Lavaliere which has a single pendant on a think chain.

For more information about Edwardian jewelry please visit, www.doverjewelry.com.