This week Ask Bronny takes a look at vintage jewelry. Spanning  many decades, vintage jewelry consists of Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Retro.  Jewelry is a quite influential and influences around the world have helped change jewelry and make it stand out in each era.  So let’s have a look at vintage jewelry!

Victorian 

Victorian Jewelry elicits thoughts of  romance and sentiment.It was developed and inspired during Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901.  The Victorian Era was categorized by three periods – the Romance (1837-1860), The Grand (1860 – 1888) and the Late Victorian (1888-1901). Jewelers found inspiration from the past – in particular the renaissance, the Ancient Greek and Ancient Egyptian jewels were used to create many of the ornaments. Such ornaments included bracelets, rings and necklaces that were all adorned with jewels. Gems used were coral and turquoise with flowers, hearts, Serpent motifs and birds were popular designs.  It was during the Romantic period that engraving ‘Dearest’ on the inside of the engagement ring also developed.

Edwardian

The Edwardian era in jewelry was defined by elegance, beauty and aristocracy. During 1901 – 1920, when the period was rife, platinum was used and sparkling cut diamonds were popular. Popular gems included Montana Sapphires, Australian Black opals and pearls. Many of the designs were intricate and delicate with the dog collar choker very popular amongst the ladies.

Art Nouveau

The Art Nouveau period (1890-1919) was characterized by edgy and bold designs, in particular jewelry explored the relationship between art, nature and mythological themes. Much of the jewels were either dragonflies, flowers or fairies. Many gems used were new such as tortoise shell, baroque pearls and dermatoid garnets.

Art Deco

The Art Deco era (1920 -1930) on jewelry was very trend-setting time, with many of the designs reflecting upon the changes in the world.  After WW1, the world changed and so did jewelry design. Jewelry was elegant and sophisticate with materials like ruby, gold, pearls, chrome, steel and plastic being used.  Designs were influenced by tribal Africa, cubicisim,   futurism and machines. As a result, many pieces of jewelry were centered around geometry like circles, squares, arches and rectangles. A very prominent trend setter during this time was Coco Chanel.

Retro

The retro era (1935 -1950) was another time in history where the war influenced the changes in jewelry design. Yellow gold was very popular and it was combined with rose gold. Jewelry was big and bold with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood emphasizing it all. Large cocktail rings and oversized bangles were popular and gems used were aquamarines and citrines.

Vintage jewelry can easily be found and bought on the web, check out www.lisamarinucci.com  to browse through her collection of vintage pieces. Lisa Marinucci has a limited edition Treasure Box collection that will mystify all you Ask Bronny readers!