Antique Jewellery & Silver Specialists

Jewelry - Silver - Objects of Vertu

Welcome to our antique Silver and fine jewellery website. Here you can find the latest information about our business, and an up to date stock list, along with images and prices of all our antiques and jewelry.

jewellery periods

Georgian Jewellery - 1714-1837

The Georgian Period was a time when jewellery styles were heavily influenced by nature, when a great deal of jewellery was being fashioned into such things as leaves, insects, birds and later, designs such as sprays of foliage, starbursts, crescents, feathers and baskets of flowers. Jewellery of the time tended to be of a smaller and lighter fashion with clusters of gems and ribbon style bows, supported by pear-shaped drops being the favored jewellery motifs of the time. Most jewellery of this period was bespoke, unique and hand crafted to a very high standard.

Victorian Jewellery - 1837 - 1901

The early Victorian jewellery style tended to symbolize a romantic view about the natural world, as these were romantic times with the Princess newly becoming Queen Victoria and recently marrying her sweet-heart, Prince Albert. People often owned rings, bracelets and lockets containing pictures or a lock of a loved ones hair. Engraving messages and personalizing jewellery also became a popular way of showing their devotion to a loved one.
This period was also heavily influenced by the East and new fashions for ‘Japonaiserie’, a style which depicted flora and fauna images in their jewellery developed. Birmingham was at the center of this movement and produced their famous Shakudo jewellery, a technique of Gold colouring used by the Japanese to great effect. They also employed highly stylized natural motifs for their jewellery designs.
Later events such as the many great archeological expeditions taken around the world, spawned a love for the Etruscan styles of jewellery that we see in many items today. These usually depicted various scenes from the ancient Greeks to the Egyptian periods and were common in mosaic, Cameo and relief styles.
During the latter years of this period events and attitudes once again changed due to the death of the Queens beloved Prince Albert. The Queen began dressing in black and wearing mourning jewellery, this was also reflected in the nations appetite for the darker style of gemstones such as Onyx, Jet and blood red Pyrope Garnets from Bohemia.
The end of this period is known as the Aesthetic Period where copious consumption and conspicuous indulgences were being frowned upon by the masses due to the literal influences by writers such as Dickens. The tastes of society were also toned down to complement the new times and items such as the Stud Earring and Bar Brooches became the fashionable style of dress.

Art Nouveau Jewellery - 1890-1915

The name Art Nouveau derives from ' La Maison De L'art Nouveau ' the Parisian gallery which featured designs by Rene Lalique, Emile Gaffe & Louis C Tiffany. This design period emerged towards the end of Queen Victoria's reign and continued into the Edwardian Period. It was based on a return to craftsmanship and the design of jewellery rather than the material used and so semi-precious stones like opal, topaz, moonstone, peridot, chalcedony, amethyst, aquamarine, demantoid garnet, among others, became fashionable. Baroque pearls dangled from pendants or brooches to represent pods or petals, anything in nature was inspirational and became widely used.
Other themes developed during the Art Nouveau period which included styles such as mythical hybrid forms like dragons, chimeras, serpents and griffons. Also the representation of the freeform swirling lines known as Whiplash, which celebrated the sensual nature of the female form, became popular. The female head with long flowing hair was a style inspired by the Symbolist movement, a literary and artistic movement that originated with a group of French poets in the late 19th century and spread to painting, theatre and many other types of art.
Other themes included nature, wildlife and insect life, such as sea horses and sea creatures, dragonflies, butterflies, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, peacocks, swans, swallows to roosters, owls and bats. All were inspirations for highly stylized forms of brooches, pendants, bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces.
Other themes that became celebrated during this period and which heralded their influences from Europe and the Far East, were traditions such as the ‘Japonaiserie’ style of employing colourful patinas to enhance metals and other previously unknown or long forgotten techniques of enameling, including Cloisonné (cells filled with separate colours of enamel), Champlevé (small hollow areas of metal filled with enamel), Plique-À-Jour (gold chambers filled with transparent enamel for a stained glass effect) and Pâte-De-Verre (melted ground glass molded into complicated shapes).

Edwardian Jewellery - 1901-1915

The Edwardian period lasted from 1901 to 1915 and was a time of wealth, refinement, elegance and security, often referred to as ' La Belle Epoque ', meaning ' Beautiful Era '. New wealth flourished with the advent of the motor and movie industries. But sadly Queen Victoria died in 1901 and her son Edward VB became King Edward VII with the Princess of Wales, Alexandra as his queen. Alexandra was a trendsetter and influenced the nation with the profusion of lace, silks and diamonds. It was an exciting time in jewellery manufacturing and design. Platinum became the metal of choice for the new diamonds mined from South Africa, there was enormous wealth and the jewellery was made to match. Edwardian jewelry is known to be the best of its time.
Edwardian jewellery was feminine, delicate and light, made possible by the use of the new metal Platinum.Cartier pioneered the use of platinum enabling the delicate fragile looking creations. Baguette cut stones, in the millegrain settings were now being used to accommodate for maximum light and colour intake. This suited the low neckline in the evenings, so pendants became popular with diamonds and pearls set in platinum for their white on white colour scheme. Pearls once rare, came pouring in from the Persian Gulf, Australia, Ceylon, the Mississippi Valley and even Scotland and all were now fashionable, especially elegant pearl soutoires. Eastern influences can also be seen during this period with Chinese and Indian styles being employed by jewellers such as Fabergé, Boucheron, Tiffany, Chaumet and Lacloche.

Art Deco Jewellery - 1920-1935

The Art Deco Period spans from 1920 -1935. ' Art Deco ' was originally referred to as ' Style Moderne ' and was said to be named after the 1925 ' Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes '. During this period jewellery making took its lead from the Abstract and Cubist 'modern art' movement, giving rise to designs of strong symmetry, geometry and streamlined shapes. The strong architectural influences of the time of bold straight lines and stepped edges also helped to pave the way for a taste in combining contrasting tones like black and white. Diamonds and light colored gemstones were mixed with dark materials such as black onyx or Bakelite, for a striking appearance. Diamonds were also Pavé set into bold patterns to form a contrasting white field. Silver, platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, and white gold were commonly used in jewelry to lend a more industrial look. Black Enamel was also often used as a way to add a bolder contrast. The geometric & cubic phenomenon introduced us to many new diamond shapes such as the Emerald, Baguette, Trilliant and Calibre Cuts. European designers like Cartier, the House of Mauboussin and Van Cleef & Arpels were at the forefront of the Art Deco jewellery movement. American jewelry designers like Harry Winston and Tiffany & Co. were icons in the Art Deco style.
Art Deco jewellery design also coincided and captured the excitement and vibrancy of the emerging Jazz Age, with striking colours and a sense of fun displayed in many of the pieces we see today. Modern materials like plastics and aluminum were being used for the first time in jewellery and they saw the reinvention of granulation by the German Elizabeth Treskow take place. Long dangling earrings, pearl strands, diamond watches, flexible bracelets and dress clips all became the choice of high society ladies. Cartier were the masters of Art Deco splendor, enthralling customers with exotic motifs which led to such creations like that of the set of diamond, ruby and platinum earrings from which hung jade roundels, carved with elephants and producing over 50 tiaras for the Royals alone .Diamond engagement rings from this period were usually of Asscher or Old European cut and are very much sought after today.

Retro Jewellery - 1935-1950

The Retro Period is often known as the ' Beatnik/ Modernist ' due to the influences of Hollywood and the new technologies of the age. Jewelry from the mid 1930's until the late 1940's became bigger and bolder than ever before. Large gemstones, many well over 100 carats, were often used. Aquamarine, citrine, topaz and synthetics became ever more popular. Rose gold replaced the platinum used during the Deco period, since much of it was needed to fund the war.Large cocktail rings, bracelets, watches, necklaces and charm bracelets all became fashionable.It was during this period that the American jewelry market finally came into its own, with Europe in the grip of war America became one of the leaders in jewellery fashion design. Many European designers immigrated to the United States and jewelry took on an American look. Incorporating old traditions like flowers, bows and sunburst designs of previous periods and adding a Hollywood twist.Hollywood movie stars replaced royalty as the trendsetters of the day. Mid-century modernism influenced this period with the use of abstract sprays of diamonds in mixed cuts, starbursts and "atomic" shapes. Textured gold dominated this decade with Florentine finishes, foxtail chain, twisted rope, braided wire, mesh, reeding, fluting and piercing. Gold jewelry without gemstones was worn primarily in the daytime, with diamond jewelry for the evenings. Amethyst, turquoise, and coral were the favorite colored gemstones while cultured pearls were gaining acceptance into day wear.

Jewellery & Antiques We Stock & Buy

This list is by no means complete, if there are any other items of antique jewelry you may be looking for or deem as something we may be interested in, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are also always delighted to provide additional images and detailed condition reports for any antique jewelry displayed.

, , , Old Jewelry, , , Men's Jewelry, Women's Jewellery, Diamond Bracelets, Diamond earrings, Rings, Earrings, Cufflinks, Pendants, Watches, Pocket Watches, Necklaces, , , Vintage rings, , , , Mourning hair jewellery, , Silver trinket boxes, , Silver Bracelets, Gold Lockets, Arts & Crafts Jewellery, Mourning Jewellery, Diamond rings, Diamond Earrings, , Sovereign coins, Gold Coins, Silverware and Holloware.