| Style |
Period |
Characteristics |
| Georgian |
1714 to 1837 |
Glamorous, imaginative, delicate, and light; more
austere and dignified after 1775; generous use of rubies, sapphires,
emeralds and gold |
| |
|
|
| Early Victorian |
1837 to 1860 |
Romantic, sentimental, nostalgic; often celebrates
memory of person or animal, a commemorative date, image of a sweetheart;
lockets, chatelaines |
| |
|
|
| Mid Victorian |
1860 to 1885 |
Grand, forthright, assertive, and solid with a bold
look; lots of mourning Jewellery, black stones – jet, French jet, onyx;
quantity and variety make it easy to collect |
| |
|
|
|
Late Victorian Edwardian |
1885 to 1905 |
Aesthetic, lighter in scale, dainty; stars, crescents,
bird motifs, Japanese designs; alexandrite, amethyst, garnet,
moon-stone, opal, sapphires, platinum; heavily influenced by Alexandra,
wife of Edward VII |
| |
|
|
| Art Nouveau |
1895 to 1910 |
Sensuous, emotionally beautiful; stylized motifs from
nature with flowing lines, female forms, no sharp angles; artistry in
design and composition emphasized; cabochons, ivory, sterling, enameling
favoured |
| |
|
|
| Arts and Crafts |
1880 to 1920 |
Strong lines, controlled movement; interlacing, complex
motifs; design more disciplined than Art Nouveau, with emphasis on
handwork: hammering, etching, embossing, patination, brass, copper,
sterling |
| |
|
|
| Art Deco |
1920 to 1930 |
Streamlined, with concise angular lines in strong
geometric patterns; abstracts, “Machine Age” designs executed in
synthetic and natural gemstones with plated metals and plastics |
| |
|
|
| Art “Retro” |
1935 to 1945 |
Extravagantly massive; pinkish-coloured metals and
baguette stones popular; stylized scrolls, floral motifs, brickwork,
honeycomb and other geometrics; exaggerated use of genuine and synthetic
coloured gems with small diamonds as accents; sterling, Lucite, Bakelite |
| |
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We will be
adding a section here shortly of some of the most frequently used terms in the
jewellery industry and their definition. We hope this will be of some use. If
you have any further queries please do not hesitate to