Period jewelry refers to jewelry that comes from a certain time span. Owning a piece of period jewelry allows fine jewelry aficionados and history enthusiasts a chance to wear beautiful, unique pieces that aren’t easily found in today’s jewelry market. Some of the most well-known period jewelry categories include Victorian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco, and Retro. Each offers distinctive themes that appeal to many jewelry lovers.
Victorian jewelry (from 1837-1901) typically features one or more of the following:
- Matching sets of ornate gemstone jewelry
- Gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds, coral, amethyst, garnet, turquoise, and tortoise shell
- Sentimental or romantic symbols
- Ornamental locks of hair
- Mourning jewelry made of jet and other black materials
- Cameos that typically feature a pale silhouette against a dark background
- Revival of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian jewelry styles
- Gothic and Renaissance motifs
- Silver-topped gold jewelry
![victorian cameo pendant](https://www.kloiberjewelers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cameo-pendant-768x1024.jpg)
Victorian Cameo Pendant
Art Nouveau jewelry (introduced in the 1890s) typically features one of more of the following:
- Curving lines
- Realistic portrayals of nature, including butterflies, dragonflies, birds, and intertwining foliage
- Dragons and other mythical beasts
- Gemstones such as pearls, opals, moonstone, aquamarine, tourmaline, rose quartz, chalcedony, chrysoprase, and amethyst
- Use of either molded or enameled glass
- Designs of women transformed into mermaids, winged sprites, or flowers
![art nouveau brooch](https://www.kloiberjewelers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/art-nouveau-brooch-1024x724.jpg)
Art Nouveau Brooch
Edwardian jewelry (between 1900 and 1915) typically features one or more of the following:
- Lavish jewelry worn to demonstrate one’s wealth
- Platinum
- Pearls and diamonds
- Colored gemstones like rubies, sapphires, emeralds, opal, and cat’s eye chrysoberyl
- Motifs like garlands, ribbons, bows, crescents, starbursts, Greek keys, laurel wreaths, wings, feathers, crowns, oak leaves, swallows, and butterflies
![platinum and diamond edwardian ring](https://www.kloiberjewelers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/edwardian-ring.jpg)
Edwardian Ring
Art Deco jewelry (1920s and 1930s) typically features one or more of the following:
- Bold, contrasting colors
- Strong geometric patterns
- Sleek, streamlined looks that emphasize the vertical line
- Gemstones such as diamonds, black onyx, lapis lazuli, ruby, emerald, sapphire, jade, turquoise, and topaz
- Carved or cabochon-cut colored gemstones
![art deco bracelet](https://www.kloiberjewelers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/art-deco-bracelet-1.jpg)
Art Deco Bracelet
Retro jewelry (1940s and 1950s) typically features one or more of the following:
- Gold (since platinum was reserved for military use during World War II)
- Few gemstones (given their short supply during this time period)
- Small diamonds and rubies
- Lightly colored sapphires
- Floral and bow motifs in colored gemstones
- Animal figures made of enameled gold and gems
- Jeweled brooches and lapel clips
- Bold, sculpted curves of rose gold set with small diamonds and rubies
- Designs inspired by mechanical objects like bicycle chains, padlocks, and tank treads
- Stylized natural motifs
- Laboratory-grown gemstones
![floral retro brooch](https://www.kloiberjewelers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/floral-retro-brooch.jpg)
Retro Floral Brooch