Welcome back to the H. Moradi blog! In our last blog post, we took a break from giving advice from our jewelry buyers and shared a few examples of how jewelry has held power. We briefly explored history, culture, and literature. Today, we are going to take a look at history once again and look at Victorian jewelry and its place of high regard that it held in the culture of the time.
What’s the Big Deal About Jewelry?
For the Victorians, jewelry wasn’t just something that you wore. It was something that showed status, but more so, it was a way to communicate. Jewelry was exceptionally meaningful. Lovers, friends, and family exchanged pieces that were embedded with hidden meaning that could be interpreted through the type of gems used, the way in which they are arranged, and other aspects.
Symbolism
Victorians instilled as much symbolism in their jewelry as they could. As we mentioned above, gem choice and arrangement were extremely important. Popular motifs were also used to communicate meaning. For example, a dog symbolized faithful service, and a butterfly on a flower meant the sentiment, “I am settled.”
Nature
Nature was also very important to the Victorians and meant they used it to communicate secret messages and they incorporated it into their jewelry designs as well. The Victorians wanted to create the most lifelike representations of animals, plants, insects, and fruits and so developed new techniques for jewelry creation. Manuals were even developed to help translate the meanings of the jewelry received.
Hair Mementos & Jewelry
Victorian’s weren’t just obsessed with nature and conjuring hidden meanings in their jewelry. They also created jewelry with their loved one’s hair. They would artfully arrange the hair in glass compartments, but would also create braided pieces that were held together by metal ends and clasps. They sometimes used as much hair that they created parure!
Victorians wanted more out of their jewelry than just something to compliment their outfit. They wanted to wear lifelike, beautiful interpretations of nature. They also wanted something that held hidden meaning, and sometimes a parure that reminded them of their loved one. Modern jewelry wearers also instill meaning in their jewelry. Whether they are wearing a meaningful wedding ring or an engraved tag with their favorite quote or the initials of their love, many desire their jewelry to carry deep meaning.
What Does Your Jewelry Mean to You?
Do you love all your jewelry or are you ready for a change? If you are ready for a change, bring your old pieces of jewelry and talk to our jewelry buyers about selling your jewelry for cash or trading your old pieces in for something new! You can learn more about working with our jewelry buyers and our selection of jewelry at our La Jolla jewelry stores.