Do you ever peruse those cards in tourist spots that tell you what was happening in the world the year you were born? This Fourth of July marks the 246th birthday of the United States, and I was curious about the kinds of jewelry ladies were wearing at that time. Let’s explore the Georgian era of jewelry!
1776 falls right in the middle of the Georgian era of jewelry that lasted from 1714 to 1837. It was named that because it was a time period where four kings named George reigned in England one right after the other. There are very few genuine Georgian pieces in existence today because all the wars of this period made raw materials scarce, many jewelry pieces were melted down to pay for the wars, and Georgian jewelers tended to melt down existing pieces when the styles changed. Even still, Georgian era jewelry is composed of three main styles.
· Baroque: Baroque jewelry is very ornate and has a bold presence, yet it has a lot of open work design that looks similar to lacework. The style began in the French court of Louis XIV when he expected his courtiers to wear their wealth. As you can imagine, it became very gaudy! The English courts were much tamer than the French, but the style remained the same.
· Rococo: Rococo jewelry designs transitioned from the symmetrical ornate of Baroque to be asymmetrical, light, and elegant. It wasn’t en vogue for very long and the term Rococo came to be slang or old fashioned.
· Neoclassical: Neoclassical describes any art or jewelry form that is inspired by ancient Greece or ancient Rome. Many of the motifs were borrowed from the Baroque period but were made much more quiet. Hearts, ribbons, flowers, wreaths, snakes in oval or navette shapes were very popular. This is the style that would have been popular during the Revolutionary war.
· Materials: Silver was very popular in the beginning of the era and moved to gold as the years progressed. Diamonds and gemstones were still cut without electricity at that time, so the gemstones would be considered poorly cut in today’s world. You will see diamonds that are not round and not very sparkly. When diamonds couldn’t be readily sourced because of all the conflict, designers used glass paste very liberally!
No matter your personal style of jewelry, I would love to help you with the jewelry of your dreams. Angela Cisneros Jewelry Concierge brings back the joy and confidence of jewelry shopping, so that you can celebrate with ease! My by-appointment approach means:
One-on-one appointments (personal attention and no crowds!)
Discretion and privacy (surprises remain surprises!)
Expert help from a Graduate Gemologist with 25 years of experience (yep, that’s me!)
Book your FREE appointment with me today! www.angelacisneros.com/book-appointment
This beautiful ring and picture is from @ravensburyantiques where they have lots of beautiful antique jewelry for sale!
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