About Preowned Jewelry

Jewelry is just about as old as humanity itself. Examples of jewelry have been found dating back tens of thousands of years, in locations from Kenya to Russia to the Andean civilizations along the western coast of South America. Basically, we've always loved jewelry! 

Over the millennia, jewelry-making techniques have developed from simple decorated shells to complex metallurgic and chemical processes involving a wide and ever-expanding range of metals, minerals, and gemstones. Different cultures have also created their own unique methods of creating jewelry and their own styles and fashions, resulting in a near-endless variety of pieces, only a fraction of which are available to the modern consumer. 

Below, we've provided an overview of the histories and characteristics of a few of the most common styles you'll find in Miriam's Attic. Although the histories of many of the pieces we have for sale have been lost to time, these summaries will provide a starting point for exploring styles you love and appreciating the beauty and historical context of vintage pieces you may own now or in the future! 

 

Victorian

1830s-1900

The Victorian era encompassed many decades and is generally broken down into three distinct eras: the Romantic (early), Grand (mid), and Aesthetic (late). The jewelry styles ran the gamut from bright, nature-inspired designs in the early period, to dark and ornate mourning jewelry in the mid period, to smaller and simpler styles in soft natural colors in the late period. These changes primarily reflected the stages of life of Queen Victoria; the Grand era began went she went into mourning for her husband, Albert, and the Aesthetic era reflected the gradual improvement of women's rights near the end of the 1800s, which owed some momentum to Victoria's stable and popular late reign. 

Common elements:

Early Victorian era: Brightly colored gemstones (turquoise, garnet, peridot, topaz), coral, pearl strands and clusters, high-karat yellow gold, nature and serpent motifs, cameos, brooches, bracelets

Mid Victorian era: Colorless or black stones (jet and onyx), pearls, silver, heavy gold work, insect motifs, jewelry incorporating hair (human or horse), lockets and mourning jewelry

Late Victorian era: Diamonds and gemstones with soft colors (amethyst, emerald, aquamarine, peridot, colored sapphires), small and simple or delicate styles, nature, celestial, and flower motifs, earrings and brooches. 

Art Nouveau 

1890s-1915

The Art Nouveau style came about as a response to multiple trends in the late 19th and early 20th century: the heavy, Greco-Roman inspired styles of the Mid Victorian era, the increasing mechanization brought on by the Industrial Revolution, and the introduction of subtle and simple yet elegant Japanese art to Europe in the mid-1800s. All of these factors led to an art movement that emphasized nature (particularly flowers), flowing and curving elements, the natural human form, and soft or vivid colors inspired by the earth. 

Common elements:

Extensive and complex enamel work, gems in soft and subtle colors (opal, moonstone, tourmaline, peridot, aquamarine), vivid accent gems (diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies), synthetic gems and simulant gem-like materials, seed pearls, motifs of young women, insects, and peacocks, necklaces and brooches. 

Edwardian 

1901-1914

Another response to the styles of the Victorian era was seen once Queen Victoria's son, Edward VII, began his reign at the turn of the 20th century. Rather than the heavy and decadent or simple and light styles of jewelry seen recently, pieces that were regal, intricate, and elegant gained favor in the Edwardian era as celebrations of imperial power became popular among British upper classes. Jewelry took inspiration from decorative elements of clothing such as lace and bows, as well as from rococo-esque scrollwork and symbols of status such as victory garlands. Colored stones remained popular, but diamonds and pearls were the true stars of the era, with their sparkle and shine enhanced by the extensive use of platinum and elaborate filigree work. 

Common elements: 

Large numbers of diamonds and pearls, bright colored stones, platinum, designs mimicking bows, lace, ribbons, and garlands, delicate and symmetrical designs, filigree and scrollwork, necklaces and chokers, brooches, tiaras.  

 

Art Deco

1920s-1940s

The style of the day during the Art Deco movement was for bold pieces with clean, geometric lines that spoke to the excitement around futuristic-seeming advances in machinery and architecture. Art Deco jewelry had a love for loud but elegant statement pieces, and used both natural and synthetic gems without discrimination; around this time, synthetic gem materials like corundum (the mineral that sapphires and rubies are made of) were becoming commercially available, and the excitement about the new technology saw synthetic gems being set in precious metals alongside natural diamonds by designer houses like Tiffany and Cartier. 

Common elements:

Diamonds, particularly in modern cuts (baguette, triangle, trapeze, and half-moon), vivid gemstones (ruby, sapphire, emerald, coral, jade), synthetic gem materials, white metals (platinum and white gold), repeated linear and geometric patterns, ancient Egyptian-inspired designs, combined futuristic and ancient elements.