Victorian Earrings
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.
1840s Italian Antique Victorian Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Victorian Earrings
Yellow Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Ruby, Pearl, Garnet, Emerald, Diamond, C...
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Pearl, 14k Gold
2010s Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Silver
Early 1900s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold
2010s Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Silver
1880s Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 15k Gold, Rose Gold
1950s Unknown Vintage Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, Silver
1880s Antique Victorian Earrings
Sterling Silver
Mid-19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, Silver
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Quartz, Gold, 14k Gold, Silver, Copper
1870s Austrian Antique Victorian Earrings
Emerald, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Antique Victorian Earrings
White Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
14k Gold
Late 19th Century British Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Silver, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
1880s English Antique Victorian Earrings
Brass
1880s Unknown Antique Victorian Earrings
Coral, Diamond, 15k Gold
1870s British Antique Victorian Earrings
15k Gold
1880s English Antique Victorian Earrings
Ruby, Turquoise, 15k Gold
Early 19th Century French Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
14k Gold
Early 1900s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Pink Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
2010s Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Silver
2010s Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 14k Gold, Silver
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Garnet, 14k Gold
1990s European Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Silver
2010s European Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1870s British Antique Victorian Earrings
Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 9k Gold, Silver
19th Century English Antique Victorian Earrings
Jasper, Gold, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
Early 1900s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Victorian Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Pearl, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Victorian Earrings
Pearl, 14k Gold
1870s French Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, Silver
1890s British Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Silver
1850s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Gold
Early 1900s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
1880s French Antique Victorian Earrings
Agate, Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rhodium
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Victorian Earrings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Victorian Earrings
Emerald, 18k Gold, Platinum, Gold
2010s American Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Late 19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Yellow Gold
Mid-19th Century French Antique Victorian Earrings
Garnet, Gold, 15k Gold
Early 1900s European Antique Victorian Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
1890s Unknown Antique Victorian Earrings
Natural Pearl, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s Asian Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Gold
19th Century Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Victorian Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver