Antique Blue Enamel and Seed Pearl Earrings by Riker Brothers, Circa 1900

Like fine wine, fine jewelry also has a “vintage”—the design period or era from which it hails. Victorian or Edwardian, Art Deco or Retro, each piece in our collection has its own special pedigree. But just because one era ended and another began, it doesn’t mean that creative jewelry makers simply forgot the lessons of the past! Many of the jewels in our cases refuse to conform to a single design period, either by striking out on their own or showing the transition from one era to the next. When such daring dazzlers are over one hundred years old, they’re generally grouped in the antique category. Anything younger than that, but still made before 1970, fits the vintage label. Every iconic era yields both singular and transitional pieces, like the ones we’ve assembled here. Follow the link at the end of each section for more about the aesthetics and history of the period.