The Aesthetic Period – 1885 – 1901
Throwing off old conventions, jewelry artists moved towards a more refined taste, reflected in artisanal rather than mass-produced creations.
Influences and Advancements
Electricity, Arts and Crafts/Art Nouveau Movements promoted original creations instead of imitations, Gibson Girls, Suffragist Movement.
Metals
Lighter, airier jewelry designs took advantage of the availability of lower-karat gold.
Still a popular option for diamond jewelry requiring a white metal setting. The gold layer protected skin from silver tarnish.
Advancements in jewelry manufacturing made platinum available to jewelers. Early examples were small accents on gold.
Sheets of rolled gold plate were stamped into mass-produced jewelry items. This new form of costume jewelry was available at a lower price to a wider range of consumers.
Gemstones
For a softly curved effect, gems were frequently cut en cabochon (without facets). Designers were interested in stones for their beauty not their intrinsic value.
An influx of opals from Australia and the backing by Queen Victoria made them a fashion choice of the era.
Discovered by accident in 1853 in Russia, these bright green garnets soon created “demantoid fever.”
Queen Victoria’s love of turquoise kept this gem at the “top of the charts” throughout the era.
Techniques/Innovations
In the late 1880s, advancements in jewelry manufacturing made platinum a viable metal for jewelry and it became a favorite for diamond mountings.
Styles/Motifs
Look for: Small studs were in vogue (for new upswept hairstyles a la the Gibson Girl). Diamond brooches sparkled in the hair and long diamond earrings on the ears at fancy evening events. Stylish longchains dangled lorgnettes (glasses) and watches. On the other end of the accessory spectrum, novelty jewels–bejeweled lizards, frogs, owls, and chickens to name a few–were all the rage. Small bar pins and delicate pendants (shamrocks, hearts, knots) were lovely and easy to wear. Horseshoes, crescent moons, crowns, bows, knots owls, and hearts were also popular motifs.
Shop at Lang
Victorian Opal Lavalière Necklace
Measuring a striking 2 1/2 inches long by 1 1/4 inches wide, this opulent Victorian jewel, hand fabricated in warmly burnished 14K yellow gold - circa 1885 - is…
SHOP AT LANG
Victorian Cabochon Garnet And Enamel Ring
A sizable oval cabochon garnet gives off an enchanting warm, dusky wine-red glow from within a bezel-setting artfully embroidered all around with fine hand engr…
SHOP AT LANG
Victorian Egyptian Revival Bangle
So, you need a statement cuff? We've got one for you. Definitely in the one-and-only category, this remarkable Victorian Egyptian Revival wrist wrap is replete…
SHOP AT LANG