Edwardian: The History of Jewelry, Jewellery and Jewelery - 1Earth Jewelry, Antiques and Appraisals Magazine

Edwardian Jewelry 1901-1910
by Roy DeNunzio

The Wright Brothers launch their prototype air machine at Kitty Hawk and the Paris police solve a crime through a new process called Fingerprinting. Einstein lets the world in on his Special Theory of Relativity while Madame Curie discovers radioactivity. Henry Ford mass produces his Model T and Frederick Hopkins raises a banner for preventive medicine with his invention of vitamins. Leo Baekeland introduces the world to plastic, and the long climb to Tupperware begins.

Edward led the country during the last years of his mother's reign, but when Victoria passed on and Edward assumed the throne, the real Edwardian age took off. England was the dominant global force and greatly influenced the better part of the civilized world. The power elite enjoyed an age of prosperity that they have not seen since. New designs and manufacturing techniques for jewelry proliferated.

Platinum, pearls and South African diamonds were combined with profuse extravagance to demonstrate rank and wealth, only emphasizing the splendid pomp of the privileged class.

But this was a different regality than that seen during Victoria's reign. In an age of railroads, telephones, steamships and steel there was also electricity. Whereas candles and gaslight romanced the ponderously ornate Victorian look, electric lamps demolished it. The Edwardians needed to lighten their act, and did. Silks, satins and pastel colors unfettered the surroundings to let in fresh air even while Edwardian women dumped the bustle in favor of a free, natural line to their clothing and their figures. And the ateliers of the master jewelers created a new fashion called Garland Jewelry, designed specifically to reflect the wealth, status, ease and luxury of the social elite. Say goodbye to Dickensian social consciousness.

Louis Cartier exploited the Garland design, utilizing ideas and details from industry, art and architecture, not to mention the best of Indian, Chinese and Arab cultures. Tiffany, Fabergé, Bourcheron, Chaumet and Lacloche followed his lead, plundering every style from Ancient Greek, Classical Roman, French Baroque and Rococo, Napoleonic and Second Empire styles. Scrolls, feathers, tassels, swags of foliage, garlands of flowers, ribbon ties in flowing bow knots, triumphal laurel wreaths and the classic Greek Key design--all recreated with subtly and taste--ruled jewelry fashion. The monochromatic signature look these designers achieved relied on platinum, diamonds and pearls for its wondrous effect.

Platinum was the metal of choice. Malleable yet strong, clean and white, it could be shaped and engraved, used as a backdrop for precious gems and diamonds, and made to resemble the delicate petit point embroidery worn by fashionable women. The avalanche of diamonds from the South African mines introduced spectacular new cuts like the marquise, baguette, kite, triangle and briolette.

Pearls, once rare, came pouring in from the Persian Gulf, Australia, Ceylon, the Mississippi Valley and Scotland, while the novel black pearl hailed in from Tahiti and Panama. Colored gemstones, plentiful and used as accents for diamonds, arrived from all over the globe. Demantoid garnet, pink topaz, amethyst, sapphire, peridot, ruby, emerald, turquoise, and tourmaline rained down on England.

For a ruling class that saw itself as royalty, the tiara made the crowning accessory. The protocol of age and rank determined who wore one, along with its height and its look. Elaborately adorned with stars, trefoils, flowers, wings, wreaths, olive branches, acanthus leaves, wheat sheaves, shamrocks, thistle heads, roses, daisies, floral garlands and flowing ribbons, the tiaras radiated light from the tresses of a woman's coiffure like a corona from a halo. The Ballet Russe and its production of Scheherazade were responsible for the popularity of feathered headdresses fashioned from ostrich and bird-of-paradise. Elaborate hairstyles also were home to jeweled combs and crescent brooches.

Fringe necklaces, rivières, dog collar chokers worn with ropes of pearl, sautoirs of seed pearls and jeweled tassels, lavaliere suspended from chains, and round plaque pendants of gems or guilloché-enameled discs decorated the swan-like throats of the aristocratic wives. Brooches and pins, worn in random multiples from the shoulder to the waist, accented the lacy gauze of the feminine bodice. Dangle earrings were the thing, dripping with pearls, diamonds and the ubiquitous garlands. Buckles boned like corsets decorated wide belts both front and back.

Rings grew large, domed and massive with ornate settings and gems. Filigree work in platinum made beautiful lacy settings for diamonds. Large settings that are airy and delicate are bold, yet delicate in feeling. Gems set in half hoops, and crossover rings with two fine stones were seen at many a grand party. Rings, like bracelets, were worn in multiples.

Aristocratic women weren't having all the fun. Their peacock husbands strutted with bejeweled stickpins in their ties and cravats. Edward VII was a dresser, and established a fashion protocol his wealthy male subjects eagerly aped. Cuff links done in colored stones like aquamarine, topaz, garnet, quartz and amethyst were common, their colors often dictated by the color and style of the shirt worn. Pocket watches sported fancy charm, medal and seal attachments to their fobs. Gypsy rings set with diamonds, rubies and sapphires shone on men's fingers, while seal rings engraved in gold or carved in carnelian, with bloodstones or chalcedonies, displayed one's family lineage.

The Edwardians also indulged their lavish tastes with gift giving. Hand-engraved cigarette cases done in silver, gold, and guilloché enamel, inset with rose-cut diamonds, cabochon sapphires, rubies or emeralds in garland motifs were high profile. Card cases, scent bottles, fans, picture frames, walking canes, parasol handles, gemstone carvings and jeweled clocks all found their way into people's hearts. Then, of course, there was Carl Fabergé delighting everyone with his enameled objects, gem carvings, bejeweled animated toys, and those unbelievable eggs.

What rises falls. The majesty of the era had its foundations shaken by the sinking of the Titanic, which resurrected ideas of social consciousness, social caste, morality and mortality. Two years later the horrors of The War to End All Wars drove the final coffin nail into a glorious and ephemeral age. The carefree, joyful confidence of the Edwardians had no defense against the grim realities of the new century.