Estate jewelry is jewelry that has been previously owned. It may or may not be in the antique category. It is often acquired from an estate, including a living estate or private parties. By definition Estate jewelry has had one or more owners.

The primary reason for investing in estate jewelry as opposed to modern, new jewelry is that it simply cannot be reproduced. While some collectors enjoy antique jewelry for its historic value, they also appreciate jewels from a bygone era that still serves to flatter modern styles and at the same time add that inimitable touch of antique charm.

Estate and antique jewelry is fashionable with the demand for fine estate jewelry is increasing steadily. Knowledgeable consumers appreciate the significant value unique to estate and antique jewelry. They realize that most of these pieces cannot be duplicated today because of the prohibitive costs, plus the exquisite workmanship simply cannot be copied.

The Difference Between Estate and Antique Jewelry

The terms antique, vintage, and estate are often used interchangeably, however, they all have different meanings. Antique refers to item that were produced before 1900. Pieces over 100 years old are as a standard ruling from the US Customs Service antique. Estate jewelry is a jewelry that has been previously owned, and it may or may not be in the antique category.

Antique Jewelry is defined by time and style. The following chronologically arranged chart makes for an easier understanding of the varying and distinct styles.

Georgian Period

• Georgian jewelry was made during the reigns of the four English kings named George, and all of it was handmade. The styles varied from Rococo during King George the First's reign to Gothic and Neoclassical. It was a period of discovery and innovation. The fashions in style included large extravagant stones set in a rococo style. These included bracelets, index finger rings, girandole earrings, memorabilia jewelry, crosses, hair combs, buckles, aigrettes, and tiaras all set with large stones. From 1770 to 1790, dog collars or chokers were popular too. Memorial jewelry was on the rise due to the uncertainty of life and the medical advancements of the time. The popularity of memorial jewelry and hair jewelry did not reach its climax until the Victorian period as a result of plagues, overcrowding in cities, and poor sanitation practices. The rococo style made it possible to make cheaper copies of the real gems to guard against theft by thieves and robbers.

• At the beginning of the Georgian period there was a high demand for diamonds over other stones. Alternatives were soon developed with such quality that it was entirely respectable and accepted for even royalty to wear them. Diamonds were starting to take on new forms such as rose cut, cushion, and "brilliants."

• In the 1750's, colored stones gain popularity. New stones such as white-imperial-pink, topazes, amethyst, chartreuse chrysoberyl, coral, ivory, pearls, and garnets were worn along with emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. With the introduction of carved classical theme jewelry, lava, shell, onyx, and carnelian became popular as well.

• The gold that was worn was usually high carat gold. In fact, a substitute for gold called "pinchbeck" (named after its inventor) was developed and was used for faux pieces. Berlin iron made from the city in 1806 was highly popular during the Napoleonic Wars as a show of patriotism. Georgian jewelry included lots of foilbacked stones, low flat gold work, cobalt blue, bezels, and black and white enameling. Some pieces can be recognized from the period by the way the stones are mounted. Georgian gems were often set over foil with their backs enclosed with metal as rhinestones generally are today.

• The designs of the Georgian period includes cameos, intaglios, mosaic, acorns, the Greek key, Urns, Doves, Phoenix, Wheat, and plumage.

• In those days, men wore more jewelry than is the custom presently. Tiny portraits of loved and a man's locket with a secret became trendy during the reign of George III. The first 'lover's eye' locket miniature has been thought to be specially made by Mrs. Fitzherbert for the Prince of Wales after their secret marriage in 1785. The lockets contained a painting of the eye area and a wisp of hair drooping across the forehead; it was both intimate and secret.

Victorian

• The period dating from the 64 year reign of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901). Classicism was a British style of historical painting inspired by the art and architecture of Classical Greece and Rome.

• Predominant design themes employed in Victorian jewelry borrowed from natural origins, i.e., flowers, trees, and birds. Early Victorian jewelry incorporated lights, delicate designs with elaborate engraving. These eventually evolved into heavier, more conservative designs the Victorian period is more noted for. Two popular design types that originated in the Victorian period were Cannatille and Repousse. Cannatille jewelry utilized twisted strands of gold wire wound into elaborate designs. Repousse, on the other hand, was indentifiable for its solid forms with raised and fluted edges that gave the piece its characteristic massive quality.

Art Nouveau

• It was a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the nineteenth century. In the 1900 World's Fair in Paris was where Art Nouveau was established as the first new decorative style of the twentieth century.

• Art Nouveau appeared in the early 1800s and was gone by the eve of the First World War. It was a response to the radical changes caused by the rapid urban growth and technological advances that followed the Industrial Revolution. It is an elegant decorative style characterized by intricately detailed patterns of curving lines.

Arts and Crafts Period

• The main founders of the Arts and Crafts period are John Ruskin (a critic) and William Morris, a multi-talented designer-writer-activist. The designs of the period are found in architecture, furniture, books, metalwork, and jewelry. The styles resembled that of the pure and clean styles of the Middle Ages that can be seen on cathedrals, furnishings, and costumes.

• The best Arts and Crafts pieces are often appreciated not for their value or their weight, but for their design, color, and workmanship. Unlike most Art Nouveau pieces, the Arts and Crafts designs tended to be simple, even somewhat primitive, figural or floral motifs, or more complex, interlaced or knotted patterns of Celtic inspiration.

Edwardian jewelry

• Lace translated into platinum and diamonds. This is the phrase used to describe the Edwardian jewelry. It was a short period, dating from 1901-1910 during the reign of King Edward VIII, son of Queen Victoria. The Edwardian Period is sometimes lost or forgotten, sandwiched between two great periods -Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

• Diamonds were made to look as fine delicate as possible in order to blend with the lace, silk, and feathers, or marks, of total femininity of the Edwardian lady. Diamonds were essential in the development of an Edwardian piece of jewelry, with many of these pieces being among the finest jewelry ever made.

• The bow, which is characteristically Victorian, took on a new meaning in the Edwardian period. Made of platinum and produced in a honeycomb pattern of fine mesh, the bow was used to match the delicate fabrics and hand embroidery worn by the rich. Brooches, pendants, and rings were also made in the very delicate style. One design that emerges during this period was the "Negligee" pendant. It had two drops of unequal length hanging from another single stone or thin chain. The "sautior," a long necklace consisting of pearls of a fine chain ending in a tassel, was also made popular during the period.

• Although much of the jewelry produced during the period was grand and expensive, many other less expensive pieces were also made popular. Bar brooches, half hoop bangles set with pearls, diamonds, or colored stones, gypsy rings worn by both men and women, cross over, half hoop, snake rings, and gold chain bracelets set with turquoise and pearls. Star settings also became popular during this period. Although much of this jewelry was produced late in the Victorian period, it is recognized as being Edwardian.

Art Deco

• Art Deco is an elegant style of decorative art, furniture design, and architecture which began as a Modernist reaction against the Art Nouveau style. It is characterized by the use of crisp, symmetrical geometric forms. One of the classic Art Deco images of the 1930s era is that of skyscrapers such as New York's Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. It was a decadent period, a strong reaction to the strict Victorian ideals that still prevailed. The Art Deco period, although almost entirely an American phenomenon, derived its name from the Exposition of Decorative Arts and Modern Manufacturers in Paris in 1925. The difference between Art Deco and other periods, is that the design aspects that were applied to Art Deco jewelry were incorporated into everything from toasters to ocean liners. The central theme of Art Deco is its geometry and symmetry. Its boldness of both design and color had such universal application. This is on of the fascinating aspects of the Art Deco movement.

• Designs that were characteristic of the earlier periods were generally an attempt to escape from the clutch of the industrial monster known as mass production. The Art Deco movement was an attempt to combine the harshness of mass production with the sensitivity of art and design.

• Art Deco jewelry was influenced, to some extent, by the two previous periods-- Art Nouveau and Edwardian. Borrowing from Art Nouveau its highly stylized and graceful designs, Art Deco took the free flowing curves and naturalistic motifs and replaced them with a harshly geometric and symmetrical theme. Borrowing from the Edwardian period its use of platinum and diamonds, designers of the period discovered new techniques to work with platinum that enabled the implementation of designs with precise and intricate shapes and outlines. Diamonds were cut in shapes never before seen such as emerald cuts, pear shapes, and marquises. These blended well with the symmetrical nature of the jewelry.

• Color also played an important role in the development of Art Deco jewelry. The pastel colors, that were uniquely Art Nouveau, were replaced with a vivid display of bold colors. The stark whiteness of platinum combined with diamond or crystal is a fundamental theme of Deco jewelry. The application of color was usually dramatic. Black and white were the preferred colors, but ruby, sapphire, emerald, turquoise, and coral found extensive use in jewelry in the period. Interesting to not: the designers of the period never hesitated to use inexpensive stones such as crystal and coral with platinum and diamond.

Retro

• Jewelry took on an American looks, incorporating the flowers, bows, and sunburst designs of previous periods, but with a Hollywood flair. Hollywood stars became the trendsetters as royalty had been previously. Jewelry during the mid 1930s until the late 1940s became bigger and bolder than ever before. Large gemstones, many well over 100 carats were often used. Aquamarine, citrine, topaz, and synthetics became ever more popular. Rose gold replaced the platinum used during Deco period, since much of it was needed to fun the war.

• Following World War II, the jewelry designs became more traditional and understated. Platinum came back into use and rose gold diminished. The big, bold styles of the Retro period went out of style and were placed by the more tailored styles of the 1950s and 60s.

Modern Period

• The jewelry of this period is often referred to as "cocktail" jewelry, because it represents a lively cocktail of the 20th century themes and goals. It was bred in an atmosphere of enormous change and crisis, of social, economic, and political confusion.
  There was an exciting move toward "modern" artistic silver jewels, very much in tune with the generally rather austere style of the decorative arts.

(items shown may have been previously sold)
pictures updated 8/27/07