Victorian, art deco, Edwardian, Retro. The list goes on and on. Humanity has been making Jewellery for nearly its entire existence. Jewellery has been a form of self-expression as well as a symbol of wealth and power for ages. As fashion changes with the times the styles of jewellery have become markers of history, specifically the beginning and ending of eras. Each period developed its own textile aesthetic that encapsulates each era’s own individualized sense of prestige and wealth. Historians use the style of the jewellery found to help understand what is considered most valuable and important to the people (typically the rich and royal) of the past. What gems and metals were most precious? What goods were traded for most often? What was their idea of beauty? These questions have led to the development of our own sense of idealized beauty.
With such a long history of fashion and jewellery, modern day aesthetics are simply recycled. There is nowhere else we can take our jewellery. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Because of this we now have the ability to choose whatever style suits us best, instead of inventing one. However, with there being so many different categories and subcategories of styles how can we properly identify the time period a piece of jewellery is from? How do we understand the meaning and history behind it? Wouldn't knowing these the answer to these questions allow us to better express ourselves with the right aesthetic that best matches us and our ideals? Don’t worry, this blog will give you a comprehensive list of the various jewellery trends/styles throughout history that are typically used to describe a piece and more. And don't it's all in chronological order, to make things a little easier.
| ERA | DATE | EXAMPLE |
| ANTIQUE | 100 years and up |
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| GEORGIAN | 1714 - 1837 |
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| VICTORIAN | 1837 - 1901 |
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| BELLE ÉPOQUE/BEAUTIFUL ERA | 1890 - 1915 |
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| ART DECO | 1915 - 1935 |
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| RETRO/RETRO MODERN | 1940s - 1950s |
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| MID CENTURY | 1950s - 1960s |
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| MODERN | 1960s - 1990s |
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| CONTEMPORARY | 2000s - Present |
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TO SUM IT ALL UP
As you might have noticed the length of these jewellery eras has gotten shorter and shorter, starting from 100 years long and slowly but surely progressing to be only a decade or two long. This is predominately due to the development of technology and globalization. As humanity has evolved, we have made it more possible to share information, aesthetics, and ideas faster and faster, resulting in fashion constantly changing every season. How can we possibly hope to stay up to date in the latest fashion trends when they now change faster than it takes to online shop? Our answer; don’t. That’s right, don’t. Don’t bother with trying to stay in the loop with the latest fashion trends and media craze, because it’s all a recycling of styles anyway. Humanity has exhausted so much of its creativity and ingenuity that we have ended up continually repeating trends and styles that have already been fully realized. So, stop trying to keep up and start finding your own look. Try things on and play around with the styles and designs that are out there and focus on yourself and what you love. What design best showcases your unique self? The one thing that has been constant with jewellery throughout all these various eras and fads is the idea that jewellery is a functional craft that is meant to express the wearer’s own sense of self. So, let’s focus on that and less of playing into the rat race. We want to know what style of jewellery best suits. What makes you feel like you?