Bugs, Human Hair & the Gazing Eye

Antique Victorian Egyptian Scarab Necklace & Earring Set www.claricejewelry.com

March 21, 2020

Unusual Jewelry Trends of the Victorian Era

We all love a truly personal gift. One of my favorites is a small boot pendant carved by my friend from the heart of an old poplar tree. Its purpose is to jokingly remind me that she (shout out to Nan) refers to herself as “my old boot.” Jewelry has been used as a sentimental token that links one person to another forever, but certain periods stand out for being icons of sentimentality and personalization. The Victorian Era (1837-1901) reigns as one of the finest examples.  

Several factors influenced the jewelry style of the time. Victorians were reacting to growing industrialization by embracing the natural world and entertaining subjects like their own mortality. At the same time, the reigning monarch Queen Victoria is the fashion influencer. Marrying the love of her life, his untimely death and her eventual recovery are all individually mirrored by jewelry produced during her reign. Colonialism and subsequent global trade introduced an exotic style and an abundance of riches. Access to semiprecious stones, diamonds and unfamiliar materials also began to influence jewelry design. 

This collective influence resulted in unusual and lurid trends. Jewelry made from real insects came into fashion. Mourning jewelry became a huge phenomenon and extremely personalized tokens of affection were common. 

Victorian Scarab Beetle Bracelet
RubyLane.com

INSECT JEWELRY

As Industrialism became an ever present reality, middle-class women felt like they were losing their connection to Mother Nature. Periodicals at the time suggested that they adorn themselves with vestiges of nature for the glory of God’s creation. 

An insect’s delicate size made it ideal for expressing the Victorian preoccupation with nature through jewelry. Insect carapaces were encrusted with precious metals and rare gemstones. Fireflies were arranged into the hair or sewn into garments. Some went so far as to wear live beetles displayed in a small cage around their necks. There’s even a rumor that a great lady trained a beetle (affixed with a diamond, of course) to fly around her neck as a moving piece of jewelry.

Antique Victorian Hair Brooch, 1843. Morning Glory Antiques and Jewelry. 
www.morninggloryjewelry.com

HAIR JEWELRY

Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died unexpectedly in 1861, spurring the Victorian Era’s embrace of sentiment and mourning jewelry. The queen regularly adorned a gold locket containing Prince Albert’s hair around her neck. This sparked the trend of hair jewelry during this time as an extremely personal and unique keepsake.

Hair was believed to possess a hallowed quality and was thought to retain the spirit of the deceased. It was arranged beautifully in pendants often depicting miniature natural scenes, braided for watch chains, and occasionally incorporated into memorial art pieces. 

Europe even found itself facing shortages of human hair and would import tons of it per year to support their need. While the practice might seem morbid to us, it offered Victorians solace as they faced death regularly due to numerous epidemics and wars.

Eye Miniature, early 19th century. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

LOVER’S EYES

Strict social codes limited the opportunity to interact with the opposite sex and a quick glance was often the only option to convey one’s desires. 

A code was even created to signify specific communications of love, lust and even surveillance. Fascination with the eyes and with certain expressions appeared in jewelry categorized as the “Lover’s Eye.”  This jewelry seemed to fit naturally within the sentimental Victorian Era and grew to be very popular among the classes and the practice thrived until the eventual introduction of photography.

Jewelry during the Victorian Period offered odd and extraordinary styles that reflected the unusual time in which they were created. While these specific examples may or may not be to your taste, we can all agree that a personal and sentimental gift, much like my cherished “old shoe” pendant, are often the most treasured. 

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