Nautical Artwork

The reign of Queen Victoria encapsulates a quickly evolving period of history — and jewelry styles were no exception. No single period has seen such a diverse group of jewelry attributed to it than the Victorian era. Today, there is a vast collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry and watches on 1stDibs.

Victorian jewelry is named after Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837 to 1901, making her the second longest-ruling monarch. (She was surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015.) During this time, different styles of fashion and jewelry came and went. Thanks to our fascination with royalty and swoon-worthy melodramas like Netflix’s The Crown — which is rife with evocative fashion, jewelry and interiors — and the 2017 feature film Victoria & Abdul, we are all familiar with her story. After the death of Victoria’s father and three childless uncles, she ascended to the throne at age 18. In 1840, Queen Victoria married the love of her life, her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Queen Victoria loved serpentine jewels, and she had even more power to shape trends than Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle do today. The British monarch’s best-known piece in this mold is the gold coiled-snake engagement ring she received from Prince Albert — the sinuous reptile was considered a symbol of everlasting love.

The Queen's 63-year reign has been divided by historians into the Romantic period, the early happy years, circa 1837–60; the Grand period, marked by the deaths of the Queen’s mother and husband, circa 1860–80; and the late Victorian or Aesthetic period, which lasted from about 1880 until 1901 and ushered in the Belle Époque. Queen Victoria wore her heart on her sleeve, and her fashion and jewelry reflected her emotions.

Romantic period jewelry, which featured common decorative motifs and was embellished with seed pearls, coral and turquoise, was a celebration of the young monarch’s love. Everything changed with the death of Prince Albert, and the Grand period is most often associated with mourning jewelry. Jewelry was smaller, lighter and more dainty during the late Victorian period. During this era, diamonds came into fashion, and semiprecious gems such as amethysts and opals became prevalent, too. Using gemstones for their natural beauty and not their worth was something that jewelers of the era felt passionate about, and this ideology would really become relevant in Art Nouveau jewelry.

Find a collection of authentic antique Victorian jewelry — from rings, necklaces and brooches to a range of other accessories — on 1stDibs. 

Cufflinks rose to popularity during the 1800s as fashionable men sought a refined and elegant solution for keeping their shirtsleeves together. Prior to this accessory, which initially materialized as a simple chain fastened to a button, men were lacing the ends of their sleeves with ribbon or string. Today, there are all manner of antique and vintage cufflinks that add flair and functionality to relaxed casual wear as much as they do for classy formal attire.

It wasn’t long before diamonds, emeralds and other precious gemstones began to appear on cufflinks, a means of adding ornament to clean and starched formal wear. When clothing manufacturers began to produce shirt cuffs and collars with more durable materials during the 19th century, a class of newer, stronger cufflinks gained credibility as being both essential and stylish. In the decades following this era’s design evolution, an entire industry bloomed around the craft of these subtle statement pieces.

Luxury brands more often associated with engagement rings and bracelets, such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co., have added cufflinks to their lines over the years, and jewelry designers, working in numerous styles, have explored the use of different materials and integrated a variety of ornamentation. Understated cufflinks of gold and platinum are guaranteed to cleanly complement any ensemble, while more niche designs allow the jewels to truly shine.

Cufflinks are practical pieces of jewelry that can also be very expressive. Consider the event for which you’re donning cufflinks and accessorize accordingly, but know that a distinctive pair of cufflinks, such as the colorful confections offered by Trianon, can pop against your dressy evening wear. Whether they’re geometric wonders of the Art Deco era, reliably relevant skull jewels or glittering accessories designed by Van Cleef & Arpels, adorned with the maison’s celebrated four-leaf clover or prominent animal motifs, you can delicately break from what can be a stuffy business meeting by introducing personality and pizzazz with a duo of nifty cufflinks.

A carefully chosen set of cufflinks can bring a stylish outfit together — literally. Find a large, luxurious collection of contemporary cufflinks as well as irresistible vintage pieces on 1stDibs today.