Weekly Real Georgian Jewelry Roundup

Welcome to the first of my semi-regular posts where I discuss some extant Georgian jewelry that is available for purchase.  I spend a lot of time lusting after original pieces on sites like Ebay, Etsy, Instagram, and various online antique sellers, so here's my chance to share some of the pieces that inspire me to recreate my own reproduction Georgian jewelry.  Every so often I'll post with some of my favorite finds.  Anyway, enough of my rambling- on to the pretties!

(Click on any picture for a direct link to the listing)

Regency Amethyst Paste Bracelet, Circa 1810 (Aesthetic Engineering Fine Jewels and Antiques on Ruby Lane)

What a gorgeous, gasp-inducing piece!  These are paste stones, but the color is so rich and vibrant you'd think they are real Siberian Amethysts.  Bracelets are relatively rare these days, so it's a joy to see one in such beautiful original condition.  You can get a great view of the box clasp as well, a sure-fire way to identify an un-altered piece.   

1760s Georgian Paste Floral Necklace (Gems by Jewels on Ebay)

This is such a pretty example of a mid-century necklace.  The jewelry of that time is characterized by elaborate designs with lots of intricate little flourishes.  They are often covered with tiny little stones, but this has a few large focal stones instead and the metalwork is the real star.  It is somehow delicate and substantial at the same time.  The chain and clasp are a later addition, but if you look at the clasp detail in the bottom right, you can see the original loop ends.  These would have originally been used to string a ribbon, so it could be tied around the neck.  These were worn very short, usually as chokers, and the ribbon allowed it to be tied tightly enough to stay high on the neck.  

18th Century Garnet Earrings (from Palsally4dzd on Ebay)

I really love multi-stone dangle earrings, and these may be some of my favorites I've ever seen!  They are an unusual shade of Garnet (the seller has more about that in the listing- click the photo!) and are such a pleasing combination of shapes and sizes.  These have the typical Georgian-style hooks on the earrings, which come directly from the backs of the settings.  (Pro tip:  original earrings never have separate hooks.  If you're looking at a pair of earring where the hooks are separate from the setting, you are looking at later alterations or additions!).  

1830s Green Paste Earrings (from Isadora's Antique Jewelry)

And here's a perfect (and beautiful) example of earrings with hooks added later.  These green paste earrings probably started their lives as earrings, but as dangles that could be added onto another pair of earrings to make them bigger (I promise I'll post an example of these next time!).  This way you could easily switch your earrings to be more formal or more elaborate depending on the occasion.  In the bottom image you can see the permanent hooks on the backs of these, which would have hooked onto loops on the original earrings.  It is quite common to see these converted into single earrings these days and while it might make them less valuable, I still find them very lovely.  Especially in this rich Emerald color!

I hope you've enjoyed these beautiful examples of real Georgian jewelry.  Do you have any favorite pieces yourself?  Post a link in the comments and let me see!  

And if you'd like some of your own reproduction 18th and 19th century jewelry, make sure to check out my Dames a la Mode inventory.  May you be inspired by history, just like I am!