Edwardian Jewelry
Edwardian jewelry belongs to the reign of Edward VII and the years just after it — roughly 1901 to the First World War — and it is the lightest, most refined work the antique trade handles. Where Victorian jewelry is warm and substantial, Edwardian jewelry aims at lace in metal: fine filigree, garlands and bows, delicate milgrain edges, and settings engineered to show as much stone and as little metal as possible. Platinum made much of it possible, but gold and silver in the same spirit are just as characteristic — what defines the period is the airiness, not the alloy.
The necklace forms of the period are its signature. The lavaliere — a light pendant on a fine chain, named for the Duchess de La Valliere — suited the high, soft necklines of Edwardian dress, and French paste necklaces, their bows and swags glittering with hand-cut glass, were made by jewelers of real standing as jewels in their own right. The festoon, draped in swags between points, crossed over from the earlier period and grew finer. Rings took filigree galleries and panel designs, worked in white gold as readily as in platinum, and cluster rings of garnets and other stones were cut and set with a delicacy the Victorian workshops rarely attempted.
Everyday Edwardian jewels have their own charm. The gate bracelet — rows of linked bars fastened with a heart padlock — was the period's beloved bracelet, its padlock carrying a sentimental charge. Bar brooches in gold, set with green paste and pearls, pinned the era's blouses. Watch chains and Albert chains in hallmarked silver were made to a standard of finish that today's makers seldom match, and they are worn now as necklaces and bracelets more often than they ever held a watch.
Edwardian pieces ask to be read closely: the value is in the fineness of the work, the thinness of the metal drawn and pierced by hand, and the survival of settings that were never robust to begin with. At Royal Regency every Edwardian piece is researched before listing — its marks read, its stones and materials described as they are, and its date given as the evidence supports — so the delicacy you see is the delicacy you get.
Frequently asked questions
What years are Edwardian jewelry? Edward VII reigned from 1901 to 1910, and the jewelry style named for him runs a little beyond the reign at both ends — from about 1901 to the First World War. Its marks are lightness, filigree, garlands and bows, and settings that show the stone above all.
What is a lavaliere necklace? A lavaliere is a light pendant — often a single stone or a small cluster with a drop — suspended from a fine chain, sometimes from two points so it sits in a gentle curve. It was the Edwardian era's characteristic necklace, made for the soft, high necklines of the day.
What is a gate bracelet? A gate bracelet is built from parallel bars linked like the bars of a gate, and it fastens with a padlock — classically a heart. Edwardian women wore them daily, and the padlock made the bracelet a love token as well as a jewel.
What is the difference between Edwardian and Art Deco jewelry? Edwardian jewelry is curving, lacy, and romantic — garlands, bows, and filigree. Art Deco, which followed it, is straight, geometric, and bold — steps, chevrons, and hard contrasts of black and white. The two sit side by side in date but oppositely in spirit.
Is Edwardian paste jewelry valuable? Fine paste — hand-cut glass set by jewelers in precious metal — was made and sold as jewelry in its own right, and the best French and English paste of this period is collected seriously today. Its worth sits in the cutting, the setting, and the survival of complete, undamaged pieces.
From Our Archive
The pieces below have already been sold through Royal Regency. We keep them here as a record of the jewelry we handle — each one researched and hallmark-checked before it was offered, in the same way as everything in this collection.
An Edwardian French paste bow necklace in silver. Eighteen inches of hand-set paste gathered into a bow — the French paste work of the period at its brilliant best, made as a jewel in its own right. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.
An Edwardian gate link bracelet in 18-karat cased gold. Bars of gold linked in the gate pattern and fastened with a heart padlock — the era's beloved everyday bracelet, and a love token besides. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.
An Edwardian aquamarine lavalier pendant in 9-karat gold, with pearls. The light pendant on its fine chain, the aquamarine softened by seed pearls — made for the high necklines of Edwardian dress. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.
A paste riviere drop necklace, Edwardian into Deco. Square-cut pastes in a thirty-six-inch line with a drop — worn long or doubled, in the evening manner of its time. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.
A sterling silver Albert chain and vesta case necklace, 1902. A gentleman's watch chain in hallmarked silver, dated 1902, with its vesta case for matches — worn today as a necklace, exactly as its finish deserves. Sold through our Whatnot showroom.
