Georgian Jewelry

Georgian Jewelry
What are the dates which cover the Georgian period? Georgian Jewelry was produced during the following dates: 1760-1830

Overview of the Fashion and Design of Georgian Jewelry
The overview of Georgian Jewelry is as follows:

Georgian Jewelry designs and fashion
Jewelry designs focussed on the opulent, elaborate and intricate including multi-strand necklaces and 'chandelier' style earrings. Jewelry fashion included jewelry added to the chatelaine and stomacher.

Types of Jewelry
Jewelry types included necklaces, pendants, bracelets, rings and bracelets.

Gemstones used in Georgian Jewelry
Gemstones used included all the precious stones diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and semi-precious stones and pearls.

The Influences of Georgian Jewelry
What influenced Georgian Jewelry? The Georgian period was a turbulent time - it was a time of great change and momentous events such as the French revolution and the American revolution.

The era also encompassed the Industrial revolution. In England the English kings from King George I to George IV reigned. For the wealthy this was a time of great extravagance and self- indulgence as the history of the French monarchy including the extravagant excesses of Queen Marie-Antoinette illustrates. The Georgian period moved on during the reign of King George IV to the Regency period.

Georgian Jewelry
Georgian Jewelry reflected the opulence of the era. Georgian jewelry styles were elaborate and highly intricate. Earrings and necklaces included multi-strand necklaces and 'chandelier' style earrings boasting extragant use of precious gems.

Popular jewelry styles of the period were both elaborate and intricate, forming ornate arrangements such as 'chandelier' style earrings, rivière necklaces' with their 'flowing river' of diamonds, and multi-strand festoons or three-strand en esclavage necklaces' forming swagged concentric rings. In keeping with the 'excesses' of the times, diamonds were a favorite gemstone of the early Georgian Era. Gemstones were used in ornate repoussé settings, forming a raised metal pattern by working from the back side of the piece.

Other complex Georgian accessories were the cannetille, chatelaine, and stomacher. The stomacher was an elaborately decorated triangular pane, filling in the front opening of a woman's bodice. Cannetille work was another popular Georgian style of metalsmithing, being made up of a lacy, open filigree consisting of tightly wound twisted gold wires, forming a coiled spiral that resembles spun gold. A chatelaine is a decorative clasp worn at the waist, with a series of suspended chains.

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