Victorian

A diverse period in jewelry history! Yellow gold was the metal of choice. The 49'ER "Gold Rush" brought with it a gold fever. Silver laid over gold was occasionally used for the setting of diamonds. Black was "in" as Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies in 1861 and the whole country mourned for 60 years alongside their beloved Queen. Black enamel and jet jewelry were the fashion statements of the day. Pearls were the fashion representing tears for the departed. Memorial jewelry became the "style". Grape and wheat clusters, female figures sitting by a weeping willow tree and locks of hair of a loved one were incorporated into a piece of jewelry. More revivals, Etruscan, Egyptian, Moorish, Roman, Greek and Gothic, occurred in this period than any other period. Goldsmithing was at its highest level of achievement. Love token jewelry in the form of lockets and rings with heart motifs as romantic sentiments engraved on the piece was widely worn.