Georgian Era Jewelry
1714 to 1830
Click on a selection below
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Accessories: This category includes things like cufflinks, hair combs, watch chains, purses, compacts, boxes, hair ornaments, vinaigrettes, and chatelaine pieces.
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Bracelets:
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Cameos:
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Coral:
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Earrings:
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Gold:
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Hair Jewelry: Hair jewelry was usually made to memorialize a departed loved one, or as a sentimental token of affection. It was also worn just to be fashionable. Hair could be made into jewelry by utilizing several different techniques.
A simple lock of hair could be curled into a locket.
Hair painting was done using macerated (cut up finely) hair. The pieces of hair were mixed with the pigment and applied with it or could be treated like mosaic tiles and carefully set in place. This technique gave texture to the grass at people's feet or gave leaves to willow trees.
Table working hair makes hollow woven tubes and shapes, like globes or acorns, and is done by weaving the hair through a hole in the center of a small table. The woven strands are weighted to keep the weaving smooth.
Flat, curled hair designs, glued into shape and then glued to the background. They can be cut into petals or leaves and decorated with pearls or gold wire. These are usually set under glass.
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Lockets:
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Necklaces:
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Paste: Paste stones have been used instead of genuine stones. Paste is high lead crystal called "paste" because when heated it doesn't go all the way to a liquid but stays a malleable paste. These costume pieces are collectible in their own right.
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Pendants:
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Pins - Including Sash Pins: SASH PINS - Sash pins were large heavy pins with thick pin stems from around 1890 through 1915. The fashion at this time was to wear a sash over the shoulder and across the chest (like Queen Victoria); or with the lighter Edwardian fashions, around the waist. These pins were used to secure the sash to the dress and were large and heavy to pin through multiple layers of cloth. They come in many styles and motifs.
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Rings:
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Sets:
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Silver and Sterling - Siam Sterling:
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Stuart Crystal: Stuart crystals were first made in 1649 to memorialize the execution by Cromwell of King Charles the first, of the House of Stuart. They were usually small pieces since showing support for an executed monarch could be dangerous. They were made by setting faceted rock crystal into gold or silver on top of a foil backing with a gold wire design on it. They could also have sentimental tokens, like a bit of hair or a piece of cloth, incorporated under the crystal. In 1714, Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, died. After this, Stuart crystals were still made, but they were personal mourning pieces or love tokens. They went out of style around 1735.