Ring Styles of the Victorian Era

The Victorian Era lasted from 1837 until 1901, during the reign of Queen Alexandrina Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This era is often broken into 3 major time periods consisting of the Early Victorian Period, the Mid or High Victorian Period, and the Late Victorian Period.

Early Victorian Period (Romantic Period, 1837 - 1860)

The Romantic Period was described as a sentimental period and was meant to reflect characteristics or the young queen, who was 18 in 1837. These qualities included youth, courtship, and marriage. Much of the jewelry at the time was inspired by nature and included such items as bouquets, parts of plants and trees, grapes, berries, snakes, and serpents. Although many of the rings of this era were hand-made, the industrial revolution was quickly introducing machinery capable of producing large amounts of jewelry.

British law helped dictate some unique characteristics of rings in this era. During the 19th century, there were no British laws requiring jewelers to use a maker’s mark or quality stamping on their rings, so much of the jewelry of this era has no stamp. Also, most gold rings were 18k gold, as lower carat gold such as 12k and 15k gold was not made legal until after 1854.

The more common gems of this era include rose cut diamonds, brilliant cut diamonds (numerous facets, typically round), amethyst, pink topaz, golden topaz, turquoise, chalcedony, coral, garnet, ruby, seed pearls, and cameos.

Mid Victorian Period (Grand Period, 1860 – 1885)

The Grand Period had a good start, however in 1861 the American Civil War began and Prince Albert, Victoria’s husband, died. Both the mourning period and the war lasted longer than many expected. The rings of this period followed a strict protocol with all black during the first year (full mourning) following the death of a loved one, and darker grays, purples, and other colors after that (half mourning). The materials commonly used during mourning included Onyx, Gutta Percha, Vulcanite, French Jet, and Bog Oak.

Opal had a “bad luck” reputation during the first half of the Grand Period and had gained its popularity back in the late 1870's. Silver was also common and low in price due to the Comstock Lode discovered in 1859 in Virginia City, Nevada. Finally, some popular shapes often found in the jewelry included anchors, bees, bells, birds, swans, and stars.

Popular gems of the Mid Victorian Period included amethysts, cabochon garnets, crystal, emeralds, diamonds, onyx, opal, pearl, ruby, black glass, bog oak, jet ivory, and tortoise shell.

Late Victorian Period (Aesthetic Period, 1885 - 1901)

Many of the rings of this period were dictated by people getting tired of over-formality, women taking on more roles in society, and Princess Alexandra, Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law. Alexandra popularized the star and crescent along with the dog collar necklace. Rings had a lighter design having less metal and smaller gems. This was the result of women’s clothing becoming lighter and more flexible. Big dresses and the tight corset were out!

This period saw the demise of money dictating the quality, style, and material of rings. Jewelers put more value into the artistic design and craftsmanship of rings. They often chose a single gem over grandiose displays of multiple gems with the monetary value of the gem being placed lower on the list.

The gems common in rings of the Aesthetic Period included diamonds, coral, pearls, turquoise, and sapphires.