Victorian Brooches
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.
1870s Antique Victorian Brooches
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
1880s Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 10k Gold
1880s Antique Victorian Brooches
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Freshwater Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Antique Victorian Brooches
Garnet, 18k Gold
1890s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1890s English Antique Victorian Brooches
Sterling Silver, Enamel
1890s English Antique Victorian Brooches
Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold, Silver
Early 1900s Antique Victorian Brooches
Onyx, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century English Antique Victorian Brooches
Onyx, Pearl, Yellow Gold
1860s Antique Victorian Brooches
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Ruby, 18k Gold
1890s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Yellow Gold
1890s American Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Enamel
1860s Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1880s American Antique Victorian Brooches
Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Russian Antique Victorian Brooches
Amethyst, Garnet, Gold, 14k Gold
Early 1900s Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-18th Century English Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Yellow Gold
1870s French Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1880s Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Silver
Mid-19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Pearl, 14k Gold
1850s Italian Antique Victorian Brooches
Coral, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, White Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1850s American Antique Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
14k Gold
1880s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Platinum
1870s Antique Victorian Brooches
Agate, Pearl, Rose Gold
Mid-19th Century English Antique Victorian Brooches
Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Victorian Brooches
Rose Gold, 18k Gold
1890s American Antique Victorian Brooches
1880s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Yellow Gold
1890s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-19th Century English Antique Victorian Brooches
Pinchbeck
Late 19th Century English Antique Victorian Brooches
Gold Plate, Silver
Early 20th Century Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1870s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Chrysoberyl, Natural Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1870s Antique Victorian Brooches
Quartz, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Gold
Early 1900s Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Agate, 18k Gold, Gold
Late 19th Century American Antique Victorian Brooches
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, 14k Gold, Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Brooches
Coral, Pearl, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
1890s Antique Victorian Brooches
Moonstone, 15k Gold
1850s French Antique Victorian Brooches
Silver
1890s Antique Victorian Brooches
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Victorian Brooches
22k Gold, Enamel
1940s Austrian Vintage Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Jade, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 19th Century French Antique Victorian Brooches
Gold Plate
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Victorian Brooches
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
1880s American Antique Victorian Brooches
Garnet, Silver