Culture, Art, Literature, Mozart, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, John Keats, Baroque, Rococo, French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, American Revolution, Regency England, Pompeii Excavation and Oversized Powdered Wigs all defined the Georgian era.
The Georgian era, 1714-1837, was named after the four King Georges (I-IV) who reigned during that time. King George IV died in 1830 and with no children as heirs to the title, his brother William IV ascended the throne. Most historians agree that the Georgian era ends when Victoria took over the throne in 1837, however some historians select 1830 as the end of the Georgian era as George IV was the last George of that time period. While much of Georgian jewelry is informed by British art and culture, the aesthetic was global.
The Georgian Fashionista
The 1700s were fast changing, turbulent times. It was also an era that was guided by stringent dress codes, which by the middle of the century relaxed a little bit. Surprisingly, fashion trends changed very rapidly — even monthly — during this century with Queen Marie Antoinette and her friend the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgina Cavendish, two of the leading style icons of the era.
By the mid 1700s, jewelry became more accessible to everyone, not just aristocracy. Another major development was that better candles were developed in the 1700s. They cast a brighter light and lasted longer which led to more parties and more demand for night time jewelry.
Diamonds For Night
Diamonds were readily available, due to Important discoveries in Brazil in the early 1700s and stones from India’s Golconda diamond mine made the glittering gems abundant. Diamonds became the height of fashion for evening wear — the only time the Georgians considered it appropriate to wear the sparkling stones and even then only for the most important occasions: Balls, receptions at court, or other formal events. Rose cut and old mine diamonds were everywhere. The diamond riviere necklace, sometimes called a “river of diamonds” or a “river of light”, debuted in the 1700s. These necklaces were made of silver collets with diamonds that were linked together. It was a very popular style and a style that remains popular today, although it is now sometimes referred to as a “tennis necklace”.
Dog Collars, Chokers and Long Chains
Dog collars and chokers were a favorite length for necklaces in the early 1700s but those morphed into longer necklaces toward the end of the era as fashion changed and necklines lowered revealing more décolletage and leaving more area to show off a necklace.
Georgians wore many rings at the same time and they wore them on any finger. Bands set with gems either half way around or all the way around, were worn singly or stacked. Rings with a large center stone surrounded by a frame of diamonds was another important style. It’s a look that remains popular today. It was also stylish to wear a pair of bracelets.
Wigs and Hair Accessories
One of the defining fashions of the 1700’s were white powdered wigs. The bigger the better and the taller the more chic it was considered. Wigs were more than just a hairpiece, they were worn by men and women to convey rank, social status, or profession. These elaborate hairstyles were the perfect place to show off jewels. Aigrettes, bandeaus, coronets, diadems, hairpin/combs and tiaras shimmered in towering tresses.
To go with the proportions of the wigs, oversized earrings were very fashionable in the 1700s. Girandole and pendeloque were the most fashion forward styles of the day and the precursor to modern day chandelier earrings. Girandole earrings feature a large stud with a central motif that was often a bow with three pear-shaped gems dropping from the center and sides. Pendeloque earrings had a round or marquis-shaped stone at the top, a bow motif dropped from the top stone and then gems dropped down from there. These earrings tended to be quite heavy, so when they went out of fashion many were taken apart and were redesigned as pendant and earring sets.
Wig wearing came to an abrupt end when a tax on hair powder was implemented to raise money to fight against Napoleon and his wars. The tax made powder exorbitantly expensive and wigs went out of style. Although wearing hair ornaments continued.
Foil Backed
Diamond jewelry was frequently set in “silver backed gold” also known as “silver topped gold”. Diamonds looked better set in a white metal, but silver tarnished and left marks on skin and clothing, so it was backed with gold. This process allowed the gold to touch the skin or clothing, so staining was avoided, while the silver optimized diamond sparkle.
Diamonds and sometimes colored gemstones were “foil-backed” or “foiled” in the Georgian era to make the diamonds brighter, or to enhance the hue of colored gemstones. The process involves backing the stone with a very thin metallic, or non-metallic, sheet. Sometimes the foil was colored to amp-up the hue of gems. Foil-backed gemstones are almost always in closed back settings to protect the foil from being damaged. A rather fragile process, foil-backing can be easily damaged by exposure to water.
Georgian jewelry was handcrafted and often showcased ornate metalwork. Repousse, a type of hammered metalwork, was used freely. It is raised in relief from the inside back so that the design shows on the front. Cannetille, a type of intricate wirework, was also popular. Enamel was another important element in jewelry making. Pinchbeck, a combination of copper and zinc, was a popular metal in some jewelry as well.
An essential piece of day jewelry for Georgians was the chatelaine. A chatelaine was a decorative clasp with several long chains with hooks that held day-to-day items such as scissors, thimble, eyeglasses, keys, watches, seals and other household items. It was worn at the waist attached to a belt. Chatelaines could be quite ornate, made in gold and adorned with precious gems, but as fashion changed, many chatelaines were taken apart.
The Georgian era ended when Queen Victoria took the throne and ushered in a new era of romance.
Top of Page: Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III, Mezzotint, by Thomas Frye, 1762, public domain, Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy Wiki Commons.
Emerald, unheated ruby and 18-karat gold mandolin brooch/locket pendant, circa 1830; Diamond and silver topped 15-karat gold earrings, England, circa 1825; Georgian 15-karat gold, 25 inch long chain; Pink topaz, natural pearl, turquoise and 18-karat gold hair comb, convertible to bracelet; Georgian 18-karat gold cannetille earrings.
Authored by Amber Michelle