The novels of Jane Austen are more beloved today than when they were first written in the late 1700s, during the Regency period of the Georgian era in England. The Georgian era was a time of great cultural enlightenment, music, literature and art were celebrated, fashion changed quickly, jewelry was opulent and the social rules of society were strict. The years between 1811 and 1820 were known as Regency England, because due to illness, King George III was unable to fulfill his duties, so his son, George IV, held the power of the crown, until the death of his father in 1820, when George IV officially became king. Austen, who was born on December 16, 1775 and died when she was just 41 years old in 1817, gives readers a glimpse into real life in that era. Her novels focus on country living and the landed gentry as well as the importance of marrying well for women in order to live a good life. Many of her characters were in dire financial situations needing to marry well to save their homes or to help their families. Austen’s novels show us what love and courtship were all about in that era and she does so with wit and a keen insight into human nature.
So what was Jane Austen’s jewelry like? There are three pieces of jewelry that belonged to Jane Austen that are on display at the Jane Austen’s House Museum in Chawton Hampshire, England. Her jewelry was rather modest, but somehow manages to be stylish today. She was known for wearing a simple ring, a 9-karat gold band bezel set with a turquoise stone. The ring was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in 2012 where it was purchased by singer Kelly Clarkson. The ring was immediately declared a national treasure by the British government and was banned from export. Through donations the Jane Austen’s House Museum was able to acquire the ring and it now resides in the museum, along with a multistrand turquoise glass bead, ivory and gold bracelet. She also famously has a cross necklace, but we’ll get to that later. For now let’s take a look at the jewelry that some of Jane Austen’s leading ladies might wear as they move into married life. Remember all of Jane Austen’s stories are romance novels ending with the happy couple getting married.
Elizabeth Bennett: Pride and Prejudice
Perhaps one of Austen’s most loved heroines, Elizabeth Bennett was the second oldest of five daughters. Her family had land, but very little money and it was expected that she would marry well to help save the family home. She turns down a proposal because she doesn’t love her suitor. Instead she falls for the dashing and very wealthy Mr. Darcy, even while disdaining him for his snobbery. Mr. Darcy is also smitten with Elizabeth, despite her lower social standing. At the end of the book, the happy couple marries and Elizabeth is elevated into high society. As a respectable woman married to a very wealthy man, she would have been expected to help her sisters find suitable matches. This may have involved having a ball for the neighbors so that single people could meet and form their own love connections. What jewelry would she have worn? In the Georgian era, people dressed up, with day and night clothing being very different. At night diamonds were the favored gemstone. Hair was worn up and ears were on full display making long diamond earrings a popular style for evening wear.
Emma Woodhouse: Emma
Emma Woodhouse was the youngest daughter of her wealthy eccentric, hypochondriac father, Mr. Woodhouse. Emma had money and lots of time on her hands, which she spent meddling in other people’s lives, mostly by trying (and failing) to play matchmaker. In the end Emma marries Mr. Knightley, a well-respected neighbor and her brother-in-law, also a man of means. So after Emma and Mr. Knightley marry, what jewelry would Emma wear? Emma was often arranging dinners and small parties for her father, something that she would most likely continue after her marriage. As a wealthy member of the gentry, Emma may have worn a stylish gold necklace set with colored gemstones and decorated with enamel, while hosting an afternoon tea for her father with neighbors or family.
Fanny Price: Mansfield Park
Fanny Price, is sent, by her impoverished family, to live with her wealthy aunt, Lady Bertram and her husband, Sir Bertram. Fanny is only ten-years old at the start of the novel, which follows her as she grows into adulthood. Fanny falls in love with her cousin Edmund, who in turn falls in love with Mary Crawford, the half-sister of the Vicar’s wife, Mrs. Grant. When Fanny is of marriageable age Sir and Lady Bertram hold a ball to introduce Fanny to eligible men. Fanny has an older brother William, who goes to sea to make his fortune. When he visits Fanny at Mansfield Park he gifts her an amber cross. Austen scholars speculate that the cross is based on topaz crosses that Jane’s brother, who was also in the navy, gifted her and her sister Cassandra (see top of page). These two crosses are also on display at the Jane Austen’s House Museum. The jewelry in this particular scene is fraught with symbolism. Fanny is thrilled to have the cross to wear to the ball, but she doesn’t have a chain. She is offered a chain by Mary Crawford, who is giving it to Fanny on behalf of her brother, Henry Crawford, who Fanny dislikes. She is also offered a chain by Edmund. The chain from Henry doesn’t fit the cross, but Edmund’s chain does, illustrating that one man is right for Fanny and the other is not. In the end Fanny and Edmund marry and he takes over the local clergyman duties. As the wife of a clergyman, Fanny will have a decent life, with jewelry befitting her station. For more important occasions, she may have worn an understated gold long chain, a very popular type of jewelry in the Georgian era and one that looks as chic today as it did in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
Anne Elliot: Persuasion
Anne Elliott was 27 at the beginning of Persuasion. Her family was in bad shape financially and her father, Sir Walter Eliott, a baronet, rented his country estate to Admiral Croft and his wife Sophia, while he, Anne and her sister, Elizabeth moved to a more affordable place in Bath. It turns out that Sophia Croft is the sister of Fredrick Wentworth, the former love of Anne. The two had been engaged but Anne was convinced to break the engagement because of Frederick’s lack of money. He left for sea and returned a wealthy captain eight years later. During these years both Frederick and Anne were still enamored with each other, so it was quite a shock when they crossed paths again. Both eventually realize that despite the broken engagement years earlier, they are still in love. They get engaged and Frederick returns to sea. As a parting gift, Frederick may have given Anne a locket, with a piece of his hair inside as a way to keep them close while they are apart. Carrying hair from a loved one was an important custom during the Georgian era, a tradition that carried on well into the 1800s.
While we’ll never know what happens to the heroines in Jane Austen’s novels after they marry, we can speculate that their marriages, based on attributes such as good character and solid reputations, were happy, and filled with love, joy and jewelry.
Turquoise and 9-karat gold ring that belonged to Jane Austen, courtesy Peter Smith, ©Jane Austen’s House Museum; Rose-cut diamonds, silver and 15-karat gold pendant earrings, England, circa 1825; Citrine, emerald, tourmaline, enamel and 18-karat gold Georgian necklace, French, circa 1790; Georgian 25 inch, 15-karat gold necklace; Unheated ruby, emerald and 18-karat gold mandolin locket pendant/brooch, circa 1830.
Authored by Amber Michelle