Jewelry History
1850-1900
The Victorian Era began with the majority of jewelry imported from Europe. By 1896 there were 1,800 trademarks of various jewelry manufacturers established in Providence, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Newark. The era created desires to wear hair combs, brooches, cameos, and pendants. Each decade established more jewelry for the population growth of the industrial revolution.
1895-1910
The Edwardian Era / Art Nouveau brought us into the 1900’s with platinum and white gold designs. Pieces contained numerous diamonds and the use of seed pearls. Gold filled jewelry (generally gold over brass) became popular as mail order allowed all households affordable current trends.
1920-1930
The Art Deco Era brought platinum and white gold era with conservative filigree patterns. The discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb sparked many Egyptian design motifs. For the first time, geometric designs inspired three-dimensional jewelry. Architecture shape paralleled the oncoming industrialization. Communication through radio during this era helped spread new fashion ideas to remote rural communities.
1940-1950
During this time, fine costume jewelry was in large production. This enabled many colors to coordinate with fashion changes. During wartime, many metals were limited in jewelry creation. Some jewelry was also produced using new created plastics.
1950’s –
The modern jewelry era has interchanged white gold with yellow gold, and a combination of both. Platinum has maintained a modest percentage of the bridal market. With the advancing prices of the precious metals markets, manufacturers started being creative with newer, more affordable jewelry metals.