Mourning & Sentimental
What lover's eye jewellery is, the Prince of Wales, Maria Fitzherbert and Richard Cosway story behind it, how eye miniatures were painted and mounted c.1785-1830, and why they are rare.
Symbols
Why the snake, often shown biting its own tail, stood for eternal love in 19th-century jewellery - from Queen Victoria's 1839 emerald snake ring to Lalique's serpents.
Techniques
How Roman micromosaic was made from smalti filati, its roots in the Vatican Mosaic Studio, the makers who led it, and how it became a Grand Tour souvenir from the 1770s to the 1870s.
Identify & Date
Hallmarks, clasps, settings and stone cuts can place a piece within a few decades - sometimes a single year. Our guides show you what to look for.
All identification guides →A Jewellery History is an illustrated reference to the jewellery people wore in Britain, France, Western Europe and the United States between about 1700 and 1950 - what each piece is, when and why it was worn, how it was made, and what it meant to the people who gave and wore it.
Every article names its further reading, and museum objects are linked to their catalogue records. Written by Claire Mcdonald. Read our editorial policy.
