Now that you know the history of jewelry in the 20th century at your fingertips thanks to our article on the subject (part 1: Belle Époque, Art Nouveau and Art Déco is available via this linkand for part 2: From the 1940s to the 1970s, it is here), we continue our return in the past with the XIXth century.
And you will see, the journey is not circumscribed in time or space: neo-classicism, neo-renaissance, neo-gothic, Egyptomania, the nineteenth appropriates the styles in the same way that women wear jewelry: in accumulation!
Ready to travel?
Consulate and First Empire (1799-1815)
François Gérard, Portrait of Juliette Récamier [Detail], 1805, Paris, Musée Carnavalet.
The French Revolution (1789) and its consequences are responsible for the disappearance and dispersion abroad of a large part of the pre-existing jewelry.
In addition, women used to dismantle and melt down old jewelry to create new, more fashionable pieces. It was not until the middle of the 19th century, when the gold rush in California and the discovery of the diamond in South Africa, to revive the abundance of raw materials and put an end to this tradition.
Under the First Empire, Napoleon I contributed greatly to the revival of the jewelry industry. For example, he founded a school of glypticHe also gathered and enriched the collection of crown jewels that had been destroyed by the Revolution. And who has the privilege of wearing these national treasures? Josephine of course! In spite of the fact that the Empress had an unquenchable passion for jewels, she was the official supplier of the jewels to the Court and to foreign sovereigns. Moreover, the official supplier of jewelry to the Empire was none other than Marie-Etienne Nitot, founder of the Chaumet company in 1780.
Andrea Appiani, Portrait of Empress Josephine, in the costume of Queen of Italy, 1807, Rueil-Malmaison, Château de Malmaison.
But let's leave the history of jewelry for a minute to take a closer look at the history of fashion: if we have not yet had the opportunity to mention the influence of antiquity in jewelry, it is evident in clothing as shown in the two portraits presented above. The famous "empire dress", characterized by its light color - frequently white -, its often square neckline, its balloon sleeves and its waist positioned under the chest is directly inspired by Greek statuary. And the least we can say is that this neoclassical dress makes the most of the accessories.
Nitot & Fils, Malachite set known as Josephine's, Paris, Fondation Napoléon.
Two necklaces, pair of bracelets, tiara, brooch, pendant, six pins.
Cameos in malachite, fine pearls, yellow gold and tortoiseshell.
At the end of the 18th century, jewels, implicitly associated with the aristocrats of the Ancien Régime, did not fit well with the republican ideals of the revolutionaries. The jewels will therefore respond to the simplicity of the empire dresses: bracelets, chains chiseled with geometric patterns inspired by Antiquity, but will nevertheless be worn in accumulation - while the bracelets adorn the arms from wrists to biceps, the rings are displayed on each finger. Only the poissardesOnly the hair, highlighted by the hairstyle "à la Titus" - a short haircut in vogue during the First Empire, also inspired by Antiquity (and not so far from Justin Bieber's bowl cut during the Baby period) - seems to escape the sobriety rule of the time.
Jean-Bernard Duvivier, Portrait of Madame Tallien [Detail], Circa 1806, New York, Brooklyn Museum.
Those who did not intend to sacrifice their hair on the altar of fashion raised it in a high bun with the help of a head jewel as in this portrait by Duvivier of Madame Tallien, an emblematic female figure of the Directoire. Moreover, if it remains popular throughout the 19th century, it is under the First Empire that the comb is democratized. If you want to know more about head jewelry, we invite you to consult our lexicon !
Hair comb, antique tiara, horn and coral on silver vermeil
The moderation not being in agreement with the megalomaniac ideal of power of Napoleon, he and Josephine will contribute to put the jewel back on the front of the scene. For example, the empress often wears complete sets, consisting of at least four coordinated pieces.
Jewelry did not escape the neo-classical influence on fashion. If the inspiration around Greek Antiquity had already allowed the return of geometric motifs (acanthus leaves, volutes inspired by architecture), the First Empire gave a new dimension to the fantasy of Roman Antiquity. Although this began in the middle of the 18th century, with the first excavations on the archaeological sites of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748), Napoleon's Italian campaign rekindled enthusiasm for Antiquity from 1796-97. And above all, it allows a consequent enrichment of the repertoire of the used motives.
Antique agate cameo ring, profile Athena
It is the advent of GlypticsIt is the advent of the "glyptic" period, with a predilection for cameos set on tiaras, necklaces, bracelets or earrings. Also very popular, the jewels in micro-mosaics are directly inspired by Pompeian discoveries.
Napoleon's second campaign, this time in Egypt (1798-1801), also brought new motifs to jewelry. This is the Egyptian Revival, which we talk about in detail in our article on Egyptomania. Palmettes, papyrus leaves, pyramids, sphinxes, scarabs, the Egypt of the pharaohs is also invited on the jewelry of the First Empire.
In another register the steel point jewels, that you may have discovered in our article on precious and non-precious metalsare also in fashion. It is known, for example, from the inventory of Josephine de Beauharnais' personal collection that the empress had several sets of steel jewelry. Napoleon I also slipped some in 1810 in the wedding basket of his second wife Marie-Louise, among other more precious jewels.
Finally, the imperial family contributed greatly to the fashion of coral. Napoleon being a Corsican, this should only surprise you halfway! If you are interested in this subject, our article is still available here.
Discover below our selection of Consulat & Premier Empire :
Restoration and July Monarchy (1815-1848)
Joseph Karl Stieler (attributed to), Portrait of Ludovica Princess of Bavaria, Circa 1830, [Location unknown].
The fall of the Empire coincided with a change in the way people adorned themselves, and jewelry was no exception to the rule. The neo-classicism of Napoleon and Josephine was abandoned for new sources of inspiration. And above all, for the first time in history, fashions are no longer influenced by a Court - until then, England set the tone for men's clothing while France delivered the trends of women's clothing. If Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis-Philippe I governed successively, the years between the two Empires saw the affirmation of an enriched bourgeoisie that now dictated its tastes. Dresses became more voluminous: skirts became shorter and flared, sleeves became puffier with the fashion for "gigot sleeves", while the waist, marked, found its natural place and the neckline gave pride of place to the birth of the shoulders, favoring the wearing of long earrings. The bodice brooches with tassels, like the one seen above on the portrait of Ludovica of Bavaria, were typical of the period.
Antique set of earrings, brooch and hairpin
The Renaissance appears as a new source of inspiration, with a vogue for enamel and a predilection for the royal blue color. We suggest in our article on blue that the democratization of this specific hue could be linked to the development in the 1830s of a synthetic substitute for lapis lazuli. Enamel is not the only borrowing from the Renaissance, since in terms of hair ornaments the ironwork, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's painting of one of the mistresses of Francis I, came back in force from 1830 to 1840. But since the head jewels have no more secrets for you, you already knew that!
Jean-Daniel Favas, Portrait of Madame Gaudin, née Mathilde Baron, 19th century, Geneva, Museum of Art and History.
In addition, the difficulty of access to raw materials that the first quarter of the nineteenth century must face is still relevant. So jewelers found subterfuges, including setting diamonds in a large silver bezel. This is for example the case on our pendant below adorned in its center with a superb crowned rose cut diamond.
Antique gold and silver drop pendant necklace, rose cut diamonds
Despite the appearance of the claw setting, stones are often mounted "on foil" or "on pearl", that is to say on a thin layer of aluminum that originally gave more brilliance to the gem. This is particularly the case for diamonds and garnets. Time has done its work, and although this is no longer true of the jewelry that has come down to us, the setting allows us to date the piece with certainty.
In addition, particular attention is paid to the work of gold with notably the vogue of the grenetis. This technique consists of creating delicate patterns using small balls of precious metal, often gold, juxtaposed. Let's also mention the canetille, another ornamental process based on a coiled metal wire. It was also during this period that stamping appeared, allowing the creation, on a malleable surface that had to be solidified, of a pattern in hollow or in relief by means of a mold. Finally, we sometimes find on period pieces a mixture of colored golds - most often yellow and pink, but do you know green gold? If not, please visit our article on precious and non-precious metals.
Speaking of non-precious metals, the iron jewelry from Berlin mentioned in the same article was particularly fashionable at that time.
In another style, the colonization of Algeria from 1830 will give rise to a wave of orientalism, like the famous women of Algiers by Delacroix. This representation of a fantasized elsewhere is translated into jewelry by the appearance of new motifs of North African inspiration such as filigree work, the Algerian knot or pompons for example.
Eugène Delacroix, Women of Algiers in their Apartment, 1834, Paris, Musée du Louvre.
A wind of romanticism finally blows on the period with the popularity of the jewelry of feeling. We won't repeat the article on acrostic jewelryThe initial of each stone forms a tender word, very fashionable at the time. Let's also mention the medallions, often containing a lock of the loved one, and more generally the hair jewels as well as those made of teeth which we talked about in the article on organic materials. The slavery necklace is also one of the musts of the Restoration for those who would like to "die of love in chains" 😬 Finally, we use turquoise often associated with forget-me-not, which in the language of flowers suggests affectionate thoughts.
The period 1837-1860 is sometimes referred to as "Victorian romanticism". White wedding dress, popularization of the snake (which reached its peak of popularity in 1840), mourning jewelry, Queen Victoria had a considerable influence on fashion and jewelry of the nineteenth century. So much so that an article entitled Jewels save the Queen !
Also coming straight from England, the dandyism allows the development of a male adornment. Watch chains, cufflinks, seals, pins, it is above all a functional jewelry. The good news is that today these jewels are no longer the prerogative of men.
And the second good news is that we have a nice selection of Restoration and Monarchie de Juillet jewelry to offer you! Here is an overview.
