The Victorian Jewelry
The Victorian era was aptly named, as the varied designs seen within this period followed the varying tastes of Queen Victoria throughout her reign of Britain. Circa 1835 to 1900, this era of jewelry is generally broken down into 3 stylistic periods: the Romantic Period, the Grand Period and the Late or Aesthetic Period.
Romantic Period
“The Romantic Period” was characterized by jewelry given with sentiment or meaning behind it, or jewelry that simply embodied femininity. Pieces with floral motifs or symbolic themes were prevalent. For example, when Queen Victoria married in 1840, she wore a snake motif ring (a symbol of eternal love). Also typical of the time, her ring was set with a green emerald, her birthstone, & created in yellow gold. In addition to yellow gold being the popular choice for metal, colored semi-precious gems set with an open back were the standard among designs.