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VICTORIAN & GEORGIAN JEWELRY
  Georgian Jewelry
  Portrait jewelry
  Victorian agate jewelry
  Victorian hair jewelry
  Victorian jet jewelry
  Victorian jet vulcanite earrings
  Victorian jewelry
  Victorian silver jewelry
  Victorian vulcanite jewelry

EDWARDIAN to Czech JEWELRY
  Czech & Lavilieres
  Edwardian & Filigree

FINE & BRIDGE JEWELRY
  Cameos
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  Lorgnettes & Chatelaines
  Paste Jewelry
  Rings, Fine
  Rings, bridge & costume
  Silver Jewelry

BAKELITE
  Bakelite bangles
  Bakelite, Shultz
  Bakelite, Shultz pins etc
  Bakelite, contemporary
  Bakelite, pins etc

COSTUME JEWELRY
  Bakelite, pins etc
  Boucher
  Bracelets, signed
  Bracelets, unsigned
  Brooches, signed
  Brooches, unsigned
  Carnegie
  Christmas jewelry
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  Clips, unsigned
  Copper Jewelry
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  Earrings, unsigned
  Eisenberg
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  Miriam Haskell
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  Necklaces, unsigned
  Plastic jewelry
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  Wood jewelry

ANTIQUES/COLLECTIBLES
  Accessories
  Boxes, Jewelry & Other
  Desk Accessories
  Porcelain & Glass
  Purses
  Sewing items
  Sterling objects

We work constantly to offer extensive jewelry research, pictures and information in our references, " Jewel Chat " and " Morning Glory Collects ".
We do not, however, offer valuation or appraisal services or answer individual questions regarding jewelry or antiques. Appraisers can be found on the LINKS page.

VICTORIAN CUT STEEL JEWELRY

VICTORIAN JEWELRY is as complex in it's symbolism, sentiment and design as the fashion, architecture and decor of the time. Worn as an ornament, a love token or a remembrance, jewelry not only completed the well-dressed lady's costume but also denoted her position in society, her marital status and her sense of self. Since the Victorian era stretched over six decades, many types of jewelry came and went in vogue.

CUT STEEL is polished steel faceted studs riveted to a steel backing to fashion jewelry and ornaments, buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steel jewelry in the warm glow of candlelight must have been something to behold. Motifs varied from the simple to the sublime, with multiple layers and densely packed studs. Designs could be enhanced by the use of varying sized studs as well. Each stud could have up to 15 facets, and in general the finer and older the piece the more facets the studs will have. Made in both England and Europe, this style of jewelry fell out of favor by the turn of the 19th century, but it never falls out of favor with me.

GEORGIAN/EARLY VICTORIAN cut steel bracelet, 7" by 1-1/3". View   View   View   #V25842
   GEORGIAN/EARLY VICTORIAN cut steel daisy motif set: the necklace is 18" by 1-1/3", the bracelet 7" by 1-1/3", early to mid-1800's. Faceted polished steel studs were riveted to a steel backing to fashion this type of jewelry. This set is particularly pristine and especially brilliant as each tiny stud has 12 facets. See Clifford's Cut-Steel & Berlin Iron Jewellery, plate II (possible attribution to Frichot); Romero's Warman's Jewelry, Ed. 3 page 33; Benette & Mascetti's Understanding Jewellery page 62; Becker's Antique & Twentieth Century Jewelry on page 78, and Bell's Collecting Victorian Jewelry page 41. View   View   View   View   #V25841

   LACY cut steel necklace with silver chain, cut steel dangles, 15-1/2" by 1". This is an unusual use of cut steel. View   View   View   View   View   View   #V29871

Woodstock was a small town outside Oxford, England, site of the most famous cut steel workshops circa 1760s. A jeweler during that time may have been selling cut steel jewelry a price higher than gold. Steel jewellery became fashionable in France and its enormous cost made it popular to the nobility. Napoleon, on his second marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria commissioned a whole parure of cut steel for his new bride. By 1775, Mathew Boulton was the most famous steel worker, first in London and then in Birmingham. By the 1790s the industry was producing its finest work although the French Revolution robbed the British workshops of their best customer. Though many shops in England closed, the French cut steel industry survived to the turn of the 19th century.

GEORGIAN cut steel and artificial half-pearl necklace, circa 1775-1800, 14 facets on each stud, half artificial pearls set in steel, 17-1/2" chain with 2-1/2" front drop. Most studs have 12-15 facets. "Fabulous" is a considerable understatement when describing this necklace and it's condition. See Dawes & Collings "Georgian Jewellery, 1714-1830" page 18; Romero's "Warman's Jewelry, Ed. 3" page 33, and Benjamin's "Antique Jewellery" page 119 for similar pieces View   View   View   View   View   #V31374 Since cut steel will rust if it gets wet or damp and is difficult to polish or clean, much of it has been discarded and few good pieces remain today.   I would date the piece at left between 1775-1800 as the individual pieces are quite small. In general, the smaller the pieces of cut steel used in the jewelry, the earlier the item was. Later jewelry had larger cut steel brads. VICTORIAN cut steel butterfly necklace, 1-3/4" butterfly on 20" chain. Beautifully design and an unusual motif for cut steel.   View   View   #V32240

Close-up of back showing how cut steel brads are riveted and affixed.
Close-up of cut steel pieces. You can see the multiple facets on each grad.
Close-up of back showing how cut steel brads are riveted and affixed on the top circles of each earring. Note that the bottom circles are pressed, not cut steel..

     EARLY VICTORIAN garnet cabochons and cut steel pierced earrings, a very unusual combination, 1-1/8". View   View   #V31325

   VICTORIAN cut steel brooch with banded agate center, 1-1/2". View   #V31881

      VICTORIAN cut steel tops and molded bottoms pierced earrings, 1-1/2". View   #V26605

VICTORIAN opalescent bracelet with cut steel accents, adjustable to 6", 6-1/2" and 7", front 1-1/4" back 1/2".   View   View   #V33053

VICTORIAN cut steel and opalescent glass pendant necklace, cut steel brads on gold tone face with cut steel chain, pendant 1-5/8", drop 1", chain 17". View   View   View   #V35657

VICTORIAN cut steel and enamel butterfly belt buckle, as is, 3-1/2" by 2". View   #V61886

VICTORIAN cut steel butterfly belt buckle, 2-1/2". This would have adorned the sash or belt in a beautiful way, delicately and with style. View   #V33733

VICTORIAN cut steel earrings, 1-7/8". Cut steel is polished steel faceted studs riveted to a steel backing to fashion jewelry and ornaments, buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steel jewelry in the warm glow of candlelight must have been something to behold as it reflects the light beautifully. View   #V33940

VICTORIAN cut steel oval pin with 12 to 15 facet brads and older c-catch on the back, 2" by 1-1/2".    View   View   #V65265

VICTORIAN cut steel branch brooch, slightly curved in design, 2-3/4".   View   #V35416

VICTORIAN cut steel bracelet with overlapping closure, safety chain, 6-3/4" wearable size, front width 3-1/8", back 5/16". View   #V35589

VICTORIAN belt buckle with cut steel buckle set on gold tone, 2-7/8".   View   #V35045

VICTORIAN cut steel and mother-of-pearl leaves brooch set on gold tone, Victorian c-catch on the back, 3-1/2". View   #V36086 VICTORIAN cut steel arrow clip with hand cut two prong fastener, 6-1/2" by 1-1/3" at the widest. Because the prongs are fairly wide, this can only be worn on a sweater or cloth with a very open weave. Each prong is 1/8" wide at the top. View   View   #V36091

VICTORIAN cut steel and mother-of-pearl stylized arrow pin set on gold tone, c-catch closure, 3". View   #V36082 VICTORIAN cut steel links brooch with later added safety catch and original extra long Victorian pin stem, 3-1/3". This is slightly bowed, perfect for a lapel. Each hand made brad has about 12 facets.   View   #V36083 VICTORIAN cut steel wide brooch with later added safety catch, 4". Slightly bowed so perfect for a lapel. View   #V36084

VICTORIAN cut steel arrow brooch with faceted black glass and tiny etched leaves end, all set on gold tone, 3-3/4". One tiny brad is missing, so priced as is. Later added c-catch on the back. View   #V36088 VICTORIAN cut steel and pale yellow glass florets, 3". It has a Victorian c-catch on the back. View   View   #V36090 VICTORIAN cut steel pin set on gold tone, 4-1/4". This has a Victorian c-catch on the back. View   #V36085

   VICTORIAN cut steel belt buckle, 1-1/4" by 1-1/4". View   #V26459e

This VICTORIAN LADY wears a cut steel clasp at her collar and buttons on her lapel.   View

VICTORIAN cut steel clasp. View   View   #V26459c

VICTORIAN cut steel three-row bangle 2-5/8" size 8-1/4" at around the inside by 1/4" wide.   View   #V29758 VICTORIAN "MG France" marked cut steel buckle, circa 1900, 2" by 2-5/8". A similar piece can be seen in Mora's "European Jewelry" on page 18. View   View   #V29768 VICTORIAN cut steel horseshoe pin for good luck, 1-1/8". View #V25994

   VICTORIAN cut steel shoe buckles x 2, 2-1/4" by 1-1/2" circa 1870.   View   View   View   View    View    #i19839

   VICTORIAN silver tone circa 1900 shoe buckle with pressed detail made to look like cut steel, 3-1/4". View   View   #i25836

VICTORIAN CT sterling molded cut steel look belt buckles, 3-1/3" by 1-3/4" total.   View   View   View #i19840

VICTORIAN cut steel small buckles, set of 2.   View   View   #V29735 VICTORIAN cut steel earrings. These may have originally been buttons, as the screw-back fittings would have been added in the first quarter of the 1900s. View   #V29736 VICTORIAN cut steel horseshoe pierced earrings circa 1890, 1/2".   View   #V29439

VICTORIAN cut steel very delicate belt buckle with scrolled design, 2-1/4" by 2". View   #V26459d

LADIES' belt or sash buckles in florals, cut steel and sterling.
"Steel buckles, diamond cut, bright finish."
A.C. Becken Catalogue, 1902

VICTORIAN cut steel shoe buckle with star and foliate motif. View   #V26459b

VICTORIAN cut steel buckle, rectangular, 2-1/2" by 1-1/2".    View   #Q28183

VICTORIAN cut steel buckle, tiny rectangle, 1-3/4" by 1".   #Q28184

VICTORIAN cut steel buckle, unusual triangular, 3-3/4" by 2".    #Q28185

VICTORIAN cut steel shoe buckles, set of 2, France, 2-1/2" by 1-5/8" each.    View   #Q28186 VICTORIAN F&N Co (Fishel & Nessler) Evergrip cut steel shoe buckles, set of 2, "patent applied for". View   View   View   #V34867 VICTORIAN cut steel two-piece buckle with stars, total width 4" by 1-1/2". View   View   View   #V62870

CHATELAINE top, part of the set #a28587

   SEWING CHATELAINE 3-1/2" belt clip chatelaine of steel and 12-facet cut steel brads holding 11" chains with a 1-1/2" thimble and bucket holder, 1-1/2" wheel type pin cushion, 2-1/8" aide memoir with 2 thick bone pages, 3-1/3" scissors, 2-3/4" tube holding a bone handled 2" punch and 2-5/8" retractable pencil with thick lead, circa 1820. A more sophisticated cut steel chatelaine can be seen in "Jewels & Jewelry" by Clare Phillips on page 65.   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View    #a28587

CHATELAINE scissors, part of the set #a28587

VICTORIAN cut steel chatelaine notebook, part of the set #a29100

VICTORIAN 1800s cut steel sewing chatelaine, 2-5/8" top with 7-1/2" to 10" chains, 1-1/2" pin cushion still with 2 hand-made pins, 2-1/2" pencil, 1-3/4" whistle, 1-5/8" wax, and 1-1/8" glove hook/corkscrew for getting corks out of perfume bottles, 7/8" measuring tape that winds in and a notebook with 2" by 1-1/3" ivory pages, cut steel brads 10-15 facets.   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   #Q29100

VICTORIAN cut steel chatelaine pin holder, part of the set #a29100

VICTORIAN steel sewing chatelaine, 2" horse shoe clip with 16" total length, flip-out glove hook 1-5/8"; thimble bucket 1-1/4"; needle box 2-5/8".   View   View   View   View   #V32611 VICTORIAN chatelaine, cut steel housekeeper's chatelaine with 2" clip; 11" chains faceted cut steel links; 2" leather needle case; 2" horse shoe shaped aide memoire, one end missing; 12" chains with 1-1/3" stamp box; 3-1/2" scissors with illegible mark; 3-1/2" "Thornhill" pencil; 5-1/2" candle scissors; 1" eraser and 3" brass scale.     View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View   View    #Q32493 VICTORIAN silver and cut steel chatelaine holder, 2-3/4". View   #V27615

VICTORIAN cut steel shoe buckle. View   View   #V26459a VICTORIAN feathery cut steel brooch, a dainty delight, 3".   View   #V64796 VICTORIAN cut steel buckle, 3" by 1-5/8".    View   #Q28182

REFERENCES:
Georgian Jewellery, 1714-1830 by Dawes & Collings
Victorian Jewelry by Davidov & Dawes
Warman's Jewelry, 3rd Edition by Christie Romero
Jewels and Jewelry by Clare Phillips and Ian Thomas