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 | | November 2007 | www.morninggloryjewelry.com | |  | |
Welcome to Morning Glory Antiques & Jewelry!
| We add articles, reference pages and recent acquisitions continually and would like to keep you abreast of whats new on a monthly basis with this newsletter.
Browse, enjoy, and be sure to email us with ideas of topics you would like to see in the future.
| ARTICLE: "Victorian Fine Jewelry & Boxed Sets"
| Victorian jewelry is as complex in its 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 ladys 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 style. Mass production made jewelry available to the widest number of buyers in the broadest range of designs ever seen before in history. When it came to formal occasions, the "more is better" theme of the Victorian era carried over into how jewelry was worn by royalty and the aristocracy. Paintings of Queen Victoria and other royals at state occasions show multiple brooches, swags, earrings, bracelets and hair ornaments. But the jewelry of the everyday folk is collectible, fascinating and a lesson in history that enchants us even today.
An original box makes a wonderful piece of jewelry even more collectible, and the Victorian boxes are getting harder and harder to find. Often shaped in a whimsical form, these old boxes were fitted inside for a particular piece. Turtle-shaped, made to open into a display stand or center-opening, they are all lined in fabric and fashioned with an eye toward showing off the treasures they held. They are also collectible in their own right.
Jewelry that is favored by todays collectors includes hinged bangles, Scottish agate jewelry, portrait jewelry, cameos, souvenir jewelry and Whitby jet as well as karat gold and sterling jewelry. Victorian Jewelry is one of my passions, and you can learn more here:
VICTORIAN JEWELRY 1837 to 1901
| Feature: PASTE JEWELRY
| Pastes are rhinestones with a higher-than-normal lead or flint content and were used from the 1700s to the early 1900s to simulate diamonds. Invented by Georg Strass in 1730, they could be set in silver, sterling or gold. These stones could be foiled or unfoiled, and were often in closed-back settings. Floral brooches are sometimes hinged, but for reasons unknown. Many of these pieces are European, and they are sometimes hallmarked. Their shimmer is appealing today as it was when they were new. Paste is in demand and many dealers have pastes in their private collections.
For more paste jewelry, see our PASTE COLLECTION.
| Feature: "Victorian Scottish Agate Jewelry"
| | The popularity of Victorian stone or "pebble" jewelry encouraged by Queen Victoria and it began as a souvenir of her trips to Scotland. From the mid-1880s Queen Victoria frequented Scotland and her Scottish castle, Balmoral, and Scotland became a popular place to view the sites, with Scottish dress and jewelry being fashionable, too. By the later 1800s it was being made in England and Germany as well.
| NEW ADDITIONS
Morning Glory adds recent acquisitions weekly and you can always see them here: http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/ |
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