In a past post, I wrote about how the 1854 gold standard was lowered. As a result of this change in the amount of gold required for jewelry to be officially 'gold', gold items became easier to make. Before that govenment issue however, jewelers creatively developed a way to make gold jewelry appear to have more gold than it did:
The following is from this site:http://antiquesshop.org/victorianjewlery.htm
The Romantic period (1837-1860) in Victorian jewelry was sparked by the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840. Since the supply of gold was inadequate at that time, thin sheets of gold were worked upon to impart the illusion of mass and size to the jewels of the early Romantic period.
It seems more research must be gathered in order to make a full understanding of what happened then. Time will tell!
Showing posts with label Gold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gold. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Heritage of a Necklace
It's amazing how people can forever change history by altering heirlooms. This is a piece of such a history. It's about a necklace and the desires of royalty.
For your delectation:
The story begins in December 1857 when, as a result of a claim initiated by George III's fifth son, Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (from 1837 King of Hanover), Queen Victoria lost to Hanover a significant part of the family jewels she had regarded as her own. Greatly chagrined, she ordered Garrards to replace the lost jewels by taking stones from 'swords and useless things'. For this necklace, twenty-eight stones were removed from two Garter badges and a sword hilt. At the same time, the central pendant of the 'Timur Ruby' necklace, known as the Lahore Diamond, was made detachable for use as the pendant on this necklace; and two of the smaller pendants from the same necklace, originally the side stones in the Indian setting of the Koh-i Nûr, were made detachable for use as earrings (with additional stones taken from an aigrette and a Garter star). The charge for making the necklace was £65 and for making up the earrings £23 10s.
That's some seriously bling Victorian jewelry! To read the full story of what happened to the necklace after Queen Victoria's remodeling, click on the title link.
For your delectation:
The story begins in December 1857 when, as a result of a claim initiated by George III's fifth son, Ernest, Duke of Cumberland (from 1837 King of Hanover), Queen Victoria lost to Hanover a significant part of the family jewels she had regarded as her own. Greatly chagrined, she ordered Garrards to replace the lost jewels by taking stones from 'swords and useless things'. For this necklace, twenty-eight stones were removed from two Garter badges and a sword hilt. At the same time, the central pendant of the 'Timur Ruby' necklace, known as the Lahore Diamond, was made detachable for use as the pendant on this necklace; and two of the smaller pendants from the same necklace, originally the side stones in the Indian setting of the Koh-i Nûr, were made detachable for use as earrings (with additional stones taken from an aigrette and a Garter star). The charge for making the necklace was £65 and for making up the earrings £23 10s.
That's some seriously bling Victorian jewelry! To read the full story of what happened to the necklace after Queen Victoria's remodeling, click on the title link.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Somethings on Gold that Happened in Victoria's Reign
From 1851 to the late 1860s, an Australian gold rush took place in the state of Victoria. In that time, Victoria was the largest exporter of gold in the world.
Early Victorian gold pieces could vary from 18 to 22 karat. Then in 1854, the Stamp Act was passed, which made gold content standardized at 9, 12, or 15 karats. It also made jewelry producers obligated to hallmark their pieces declaring the karat number.
Jewelers could then start to experiment with different types of casting, like chasing and granulation. Because the gold standard was less, gold jewelry was easier to buy. Hurrah for parliamentary change! It can make the economy grow!
Early Victorian gold pieces could vary from 18 to 22 karat. Then in 1854, the Stamp Act was passed, which made gold content standardized at 9, 12, or 15 karats. It also made jewelry producers obligated to hallmark their pieces declaring the karat number.
Jewelers could then start to experiment with different types of casting, like chasing and granulation. Because the gold standard was less, gold jewelry was easier to buy. Hurrah for parliamentary change! It can make the economy grow!
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