The Mid Victorian Period Jewelry
Most jewelry styles won’t spontaneously change overnight, rather they slowly grow until they are accepted by the majority of the population. Therefore, trends from the early Victorian era often continued in popularity into the Mid-Victorian era as new trends were starting to be introduced.
During the Mid Victorian era a lot of changes happened which affected the jewelry industry. The gold content laws changed in the mid 1800s to standardize gold at 9, 12 and 15 karats from what used to be 18 to 22 karats. Laws also went into effect which made it mandatory to use hallmarks to prove gold content.
When Queen Victoria’s husband passed away, mourning jewelry became popular. The Queen wore nothing but full mourning attire for the rest of her life. There was a strict protocol to mourning jewelry during the Victorian era. After a year of mourning in which you had to wear all black clothing and jewelry, you could wear half-mourning colors like gray, mauve or purple. Therefore, some common materials found in mourning jewelry were jet, onyx, gutta percha, French jet and bog oak.
The jewelry of the Mid Victorian Period also reflected current events, new ideas and ancient finds. Jewelry based on ancient designs was made popular by discoveries found in the ancient sites of Herculaneum, Pompeii, Egypt and Greece. One style that was created was the micro-mosaics which were made from tiny stones or glass tiles known as tessarae. These were used to create a picture that was then polished. The best jewelry contained about 1,400 tiles in a single square inch. Landscape, architectural and portrait jewelry of this style are very fragile and extremely detailed.
Another new design during this period was the Pieta Dura which was made using inlaid pieces of hard stone to create the design. These designs were often larger and simpler than those found on a micro-mosaic. Both these techniques are still used today, but the quality is much lower.
For more information about the Mid Victorian Period please visit, www.doverjewelry.com.
