Southern Serendipity: earrings

Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts

Cameos

The first cameos were created thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. They have been a favorite item of jewelry for centuries, though they have waxed and waned in popularity depending on the era.

Cameos have been carved from a wide variety of materials such as stones, shell, coral, lava, bog oak, Vulanite, ivory, and glass.

Common subjects are portraits of ladies, soldiers, rulers and scholars, mythology, animals, Biblical events, and landscapes or scenes.

Worn by both men and women, cameos have been worn set in brooches, earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, fobs and pins.

Cameos may be carved in low relief where the subject barely protrudes from the background, or high relief where the subject projects a great deal from the background.

Queen Victoria, a world trend setter, loved cameos. Her interest caused cameos to rocket into popularity once again in the mid-1800s. They were in demand as tourist souvenirs as well. Those who made the ‘grand tour’ in Europe often chose a cameo or two from places such as Pompeii or Herculeum.

Important people also had their portraits made into cameos. According to an advertisement in Godey's Lady's Book in January 1850, “Peabody the celebrated Cameo Portrait Cutter, 140 Chestnut Street, is kept busily engaged with the portraits of some of our most eminent citizens.”

What is Jet?

Jet is fossilized wood. It has been used for making jewelry since ancient times. During the Victorian era, some of the finest Jet was mined from the cliffs of Whitby, England. Therefore, Whitby Jet in particular was in demand.

In 1851, The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations (sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition) was held in London. One of the Exhibitions featured Jet jewelry and its popularity quickly grew when it enjoyed royal patronage almost immediately.

When Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into mourning and allowed only Jet jewelry to be worn at court. As usual, society followed court etiquette and Jet became very fashionable for mourning. However, though Jet was important for mourning jewelry, it continued as a very popular material for mainstream jewelry in general. Many non-mourning pieces were made from Jet.

Eventually production of Jet jewelry could not meet the demand so other similar-looking materials were substituted, such as French Jet (glass) or Vauxhall glass, or Vulcanite (a natural, hard rubber).

How to Distinguish Jet

When rubbed against unglazed porcelain, true jet will leave a chocolate brown streak. Unlike glass, Jet is warm to the touch. Also, when rubbed briskly onto silk or wool, true Jet will develop static electricity much like Amber.

Vulcanite: A Fashion Trend

Rubber Victorian jewelry? Yes indeed!

Upon the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, black jewelry became the height of fashion as the queen chose to wear black the rest of her life. Consequently, black jewelry was fashioned from a wide variety of materials. One of those materials was Vulcanite.

Vulcanite is a substance formed by combining sulphur and India rubber, a natural rubber, and then heating - or vulcanizing - the mixture. It becomes a hard, black material, originally intended to take the place of ebony wood. Charles Goodyear is generally given credit for developing the process and his patent occurred in 1844.

Vulcanite (sometimes called Ebonite) can be confused with other substances such as Gutta Percha, Jet, French Jet, or Bog Oak. It helps to know that Vulcanite is a molded material with rounded edges, not carved with sharp edges like Jet or French Jet. It can be polished to have a matte sheen, but the finish will never be as glossy as Jet or French Jet. Bog Oak has growth lines since it is wood, but Vulcanite does not.

Gutta Percha is also a molded material, but it was almost always used for making utilitarian household and commercial items such as boot soles and gussets, buttons, carriage belts, tubs, pails, cables, golf balls, etc. Vulcanite, on the other hand, was used for every imaginable type of jewelry - earrings, brooches, watch fobs, lockets, etc. Originally manufactured as black jewelry, over time Vulcanite can turn brown.

Another way to try and identify whether or not the material is Vulcanite will be to rub the piece and if it is Vulcanite, it will smell like rubber. If all else fails, you can do a taste test. Yes, actually lick the piece! If the item tastes salty, it’s Gutta Percha. If not, it’s Vulcanite. If you don’t want to do the taste test, assume that the jewelry is Vulcanite and you’ll be right most of the time.

Here are some pictures from my collection. And just for fun, at the bottom is a pair of earrings in my shop made with genuine vintage Vulcanite!

Victorian Vulcanite Lockets and Chains. Holly Sheen Collections.

Victorian Vulcanite Pendants. Holly Sheen Collections.

Victorian Vulcanite Bracelet. Holly Sheen Collections.

Victorian Vulcanite Brooches. Holly Sheen Collections.

Victorian Vulcanite Hair Combs. Holly Sheen Collections.

1860s Ladies Wore Earrings!

Victorian ladies loved earrings!

Not every woman of the 1860s wore earrings, of course. But with hairstyles generally showing the earlobes once again, earrings returned to popularity. Earrings varied in size from petite little dangles to larger ‘drop’ earrings.

Photographs, paintings, and fashion magazines of the era all featured earrings on ladies.

Below is a page from Le Mode Illustree, a popular fashion periodical from the era. Notice there are two earring designs feature on it. The date is December 25, 1864.

They Were Affordable

By the mid-1860s, the industrial revolution had been underway for quite some time. This opened up many new techniques and materials used for jewelry. Faux jewels had been in use for centuries, but now cheaper metals had been developed also. Ladies of the middling classes, not just the wealthy, could now afford to wear jewelry.

They Were Worn By All Ages

Also, just like now, a wide range of ages wore earrings. Photographs and paintings show young girls, middle-aged ladies, and older ladies all wearing earrings.

Young Girls Wearing Earrings

No Posts, Screws or Clips

In the 1860s, ears were pierced for earrings. Sources differ as to exactly when, but screwback, clip-on, and post earrings were not invented until decades later. Earring backs were usually simple 'shepherds hooks' and some also had a latch for the hook.

Don't you love this lady's massive earrings? They appear to be cameos, likely coordinating with her brooch.

I enjoy creating earrings using some of the materials and motifs that were popular in the 1860s. Here's a peek at a few of the items I currently have listed.

Click here to see more!

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Turquoise in the 1860s

Turquoise was a popular gemstone during the 1860s, but it had a long history of popularity. Other cultures had valued turquoise and used it decoratively for centuries before.

Turquoise made its entrance into the western world primarily through Persia and Egypt, thanks to Napoleon’s inroads to North Africa via his military campaigns. Shortly after the 1798 Battle of the Nile, wealthy women across Europe began wearing the stone in their jewelry.

Persian turquoise differs from turquoise mined in the United States in that it has no visible matrix. Matrix is the black or brown veining that is common here in our country. Instead, the turquoise that Victorians were familiar with was a fine robin’s-egg blue. To our eyes it almost looks fakey since it has no veining, but it was very much prized in the 1860s and continued to increase in popularity.

Here are some lovely examples of mid-Victorian turquoise jewelry.

Seen on Morning Glory Antiques

Seen on eBay

Seen on Ruby Lane Antiques

Just for fun, I occasionally incorporate a little turquoise into my jewelry such as this pair of earrings.

Purchase at Southern Serendipity

Lovely Amethysts

The Victorian era is the span of time in which Queen Victoria ruled England - from 1837 until 1901.

During this time the industrial revolution had a major impact on the manufacturing of goods, including jewelry. More employment brought more people into the middle class. Better manufacturing techniques made jewelry more affordable.

Now the emerging middle-class could afford jewelry that in the past only the upper-class could afford.

One of the continuing favorites of the Victorian era was amethyst jewelry. Amethysts were set into necklaces, earrings, brooches, bracelets, rings - you name it.

The most popular of the quartz family, amethyst is also one of the planet’s most abundant minerals. Amethyst has been used for centuries in the fashioning of jewelry. The color can range from deep violet purple to pale lavender.