VICTORIAN ERA JEWELRY 
1840-1890

Queen Victoria loved jewelry and soon her fellow countrymen were as enamored of it as she was. Following Albert’s death in 1861, she continued to wear jewelry. Known as mourning jewelry, Queen Victoria wore it in tribute to her deceased husband. The pieces were black and made of various types of materials: gutta percha, vulcanite, bog oak, ebonite and black glass.

After a lengthy period of mourning, the dark cloud was lifted and there was a period of great sentimentality. Women were wearing heavily corseted, multi-layered garments. Hair was long and usually worn piled atop the head, topped by huge hats.

Jewelry took the form of chatelaines, hair ornaments, lockets, pierced earrings, watch chains with fobs and seals, cameos, book chain style necklaces, hatpins, lavalieres, lace and lingerie pins, bangles, cufflinks and stud buttons. There were many motifs characteristic of this time: flowers, snakes, crescents, lizards, birds, Celtic designs, Japanese designs, horseshoes and acrostics. Acrostics are quite unique. A Victorian filigree diamond ring today is a much sought after piece.