Victorian Jewelry Personal Adornment from the Age of Romance to the Age of Aesthetics

S. Hand, Old Sacramento Living History Program, 2004 (Revised 2011). Introduction.

Lockets were much-loved accessories during the Victorian era in keeping with the
romantic motifs and were made of every type of material. (Lockets were sometimes
worn under the clothing to protect a sentimental keepsake inside from public eyes and 6
also unfortunately for us, the eye of the camera.)

They often held painted miniatures and (in later years) small photographs, as well as locks of hair. Lockets were worn not just on necklaces but also as multiple charms on a bracelet, a pin or even a ring. Rings were important and Victoria was known to wear one on each finger. Brooches and lace pins but not watch pins, (a later stock item) were extremely popular and were worn in a variety of ways by the Victorian woman. They were worn on the shoulder, but also at the
neck, waist, in the hair, hats, and on ribbons as necklaces and bracelets.

Earrings were popular throughout the era with exceptions only for a few years during the 1840's and 1890's, when bonnet styles and ribbons made them difficult to wear. A number of
women’s magazines such as Harper’s are on line now. Godeys and Petersons are
available bound into books from Amazon and each month’s edition has a discussion of
the latest in fashion clothing and jewelry. Jeanenne Bell starts each one of her chapters in
her Collecting Victorian Jewelry with examples and descriptions of each period’s
fashions.

The spread of the empire and the calmer more peaceful times encouraged trade under
Victoria and this brought access to the products and the art work, crafts and gemstones of
faraway places such as the Orient and India. Mechanical and technical advances allowed
mass production in both fabrics and metal work including jewelry.The increased
availability of gold and silver from America and gem mines in India and Australia put
more jewelry in the jewelers storefronts.

Gutta Percha extracted from a Malayan tree resin appeared in 1842 and along with vulcanite processed from the rubber tree were the first early forms of moldable and durable materials. These were followed later by celluloid and bakelite, the latter two not in the periods of interest to us. Tortoise shell and horn also provided moldable lightweight jewelry which was enhanced with gold and silver and called Pique.