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Age of The Machine: How The Industrial Revolution Inspired Innovative Jewelry Trends

Tanzy Ward

Age of The Machine: How The Industrial Revolution Inspired Innovative Jewelry Trends

The first Industrial Revolution (c.1760-c.1840) ushered in a new way to create items and changed societies forever. No longer relying on everything made from hand, factories began to produce mass quantities of goods at rapid rates. New social and economic conditions emerged, including increased middle-class families in Europe and America. The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) and the success of the railroad system created new opportunities that permanently impacted various industries, including expansion in the jewelry market.  (Claude Monet's 'Gare Saint-Lazare' Landscape Portrait  Inspired By The Industrial Revolution, 1877) The Industrial Age paved the way for various accessory trends to become more accessible to...


The Crystal Palace: The Historic Arts Exhibition That Left An Ongoing Legacy

Tanzy Ward

The Crystal Palace: The Historic Arts Exhibition That Left An Ongoing Legacy

 The interior of the Crystal Palace in London during the Great Exhibition of 1851. McNeven, J., The Foreign Department, viewed towards the transept, colored lithograph, 1851, Ackermann (printer), V&A. The interior of the Crystal Palace in London during the Great Exhibition of 1851. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum Collection. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O85649/print-the-foreign-department-viewed-towards/the-foreign-department-viewed-towards-print-mcneven-j/ During the Victorian era, there were many innovative changes in the industry and the arts. Under Queen Victoria's reign (1837-1901), Britain staged the first International Exposition of Arts and Industry in 1851. The exposition provided a spacious arena for different nations to showcase their newest creative arts and industrial inventions. Prizes were...


Historic Beads: The Fascinating History & Origins of Beaded Jewelry

Tanzy Ward

Historic Beads: The Fascinating History & Origins of Beaded Jewelry

  The art of creating beaded jewelry can be traced to prehistoric times. 'Paleolithic Age' or 'Old Stone Age' beaded jewelry crafted with great detail and skill was commonly created by many cultures with organic materials. The natural and locally sourced materials used to make artisan beaded jewelry often took time and considerable detail by hand. These fantastic pieces of prehistoric history can tell us a lot about the tribes and cultures who created them. How the beaded jewelry was crafted can contain key clues that are important when analyzing the abilities and talents of prehistoric tribes.   (Bradshaw Rock...


Why Was Mourning Jewelry So Popular?: How Queen Victoria's Grief Created a Jewelry Sensation

Tanzy Ward

Why Was Mourning Jewelry So Popular?:  How Queen Victoria's Grief Created a Jewelry Sensation

  Although the tradition of wearing 'mourning' jewelry dates to least the memento mori accessories of the Middle Ages, the period most associated with the aesthetic is the Grand Era (c.1861-c.1881) of Queen Victoria's reign (c.1837-1901). The Grand Era began when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, died of typhoid fever. She went into deep mourning and wore long black crepe dresses and mostly black mourning jewelry for the remainder of her life. Queen Victoria was an admired iconic figure, and her style choices influenced a fashionable jewelry trend. Mourning jewelry emphasized sentimental mementos that memorialized departed loved ones. Natural minerals such as...


The Choker: A Fascinating Retrospective & History

Tanzy Ward

The Choker: A Fascinating Retrospective & History

Far from a newer trend, the choker has gone by many names and purposes for centuries. Women in ancient Sumer-Mesopotamia and Egypt empires layered chokers with other necklaces for protection and power. During the French Revolution in 1798, ribbons were worn around the necks to honor those killed by the guillotine. Anne Boleyn, King Henry VII of England's second wife, was famously portrayed in a painting wearing a pearl strand choker-like necklace with the letter 'B' pendant around her neck. It is a mystery concerning what exactly happened to Boleyn's iconic chain. Many speculate that it was either passed down to her...