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.
Antique Victorian English Essex Crystal Gold Dog Pug Stickpin
Located in Munich, Bavaria
The wonderful carved Essex Chrystal stickpin of a pug is mounted in gold. The reverse carved ad painted crystal has been executed in England in 1865 ca. The pug wears a collar with a...
Crystal, 15k Gold
Fabergé Antique Bi-Color Gold Cigarette Case, Circa 1896-1908, Russia
By Fabergé
Located in Capri, IT
1896 - 1908 Circa Yellow and Rose Gold Faberge Cigarette Case. Workmaster August Hollming, ST Petersburg with scratched inventory number 5695. ...
Antique Hardstone Intaglio Necklace 14 Karat Gold Ball Chain
Located in Munich, Bavaria
Five agate intaglios of varying size and age have been mounted in 18 karat gold settings. The settings are connected by golden balls made out of 18karat . They are threaded on a foxt...
Gold, 18k Gold
Exceptional Early Victorian English Sterling Silver Inkstand by Henry Wilkinson
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A rare Early Victorian sterling silver inkstand or standish by Henry Wilkinson. Retaining its original bottles, lids, taper stick, snuffer and a quill or wafer compartment. The body...
Sterling Silver
$5,200Sale Price|20% Off
Marble and Brass Mounted Vase
Located in New York, NY
A Large Marble and Brass Mounted Cassolettes, Vases. It is topped with a cover terminating with a pine cone finial and a further collar of downward hanging overlapping leaves.The vas...
Brass
$22,850
Antique Moses Cameo Brooch
Located in New Orleans, LA
The legendary Michelangelo's Moses is meticulously recreated in this 19th-century cameo brooch. Crafted of beautiful onyx, the intricate cameo resides in ...
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Reverse Crystal Stickpin Tiepin Boxer Dog 14kt Red Gold Red Dog Collar
Located in Munich, Bavaria
This reverse crystal of a boxer dog wearing a red dog collar has been hand carved and hand painted in the last quarter of the 19th century. The crystal is mounted in a red gold setti...
Crystal, 14k Gold
Antique 18K Gold Knitting Needle Caps with Floral Motifs, Circa 1890
Located in Rotterdam, NL
An elegant and rare pair of antique 18 karat gold needle caps, beautifully crafted and rich in refined ornamental detail. Each cap is designed in a tapered, architectural form, remi...
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Victorian 10K Gold and Copper Buckle, Netherlands, Circa 1885-1900
Located in Rotterdam, NL
A beautifully detailed antique rectangular buckle crafted in 10 karat gold mounted on a copper base, dating to the late 19th century. The buckle is decorated with richly textured gol...
10k Gold, Copper, Gold, Yellow Gold
High Victorian Faceted Jet Hat Pin w Sterling Silver Stem - 6 ½”, 1890s
Located in Tucson, AZ
A necessity during the Victorian Era, hat pins not only balanced precarious hats atop piles of hair but also moonlighted as weapons against overzealous gentlemen. Though teetering ha...
Sterling Silver
19th Century Antique Dutch 14K Gold Filigree Cannteille Headdress Ornaments
Located in Rotterdam, NL
A rare pair of antique Dutch 14K gold forehead needles, crafted in the 19th century in Zuid-Holland by J.P.J. Driessen. These exceptional examples of Dutch regional costume jewelry beautifully illustrate the artistry and cultural identity of traditional Netherlands goldsmithing. In 19th-century Dutch fishing villages, jewelry was more than decoration, it was a visible symbol of social standing. The wives of shipowners and prosperous families wore long lace caps adorned with elaborate gold forehead needles (voorhoofdsnaalden), while fishermen’s wives wore simpler dress without such adornment. Pieces like these signified wealth, pride, and heritage. Each needle is richly decorated with intricate filigree...
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Viennese Antique Gold Emerald Ruby and Pearl Clock, Probably by Carl Wurm c1830
Located in London, GB
A Viennese miniature gold zappler carriage clock probably by Carl Wurm, with a repoussé, chased and engraved case, designed as a small bracket clock, with the front face finely chase...
Emerald, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Pearl, Gold
Glass Scent Bottle with Gold Mounting
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A glass scent bottle in the shape of an amphora with a 14 carat gold mounting, foot and stopper and two rings at the side in its original leather ca...
Gold, 14k Gold
Victorian Gold Double-Ended Crystal Scent Bottle
Located in Paris, FR
A cylindrical, double-ended transparent crystal perfume bottle with one side a fine vinaigrette and the other a smelling salt compartiment. The vinaigre...
Crystal, Gold
1800s Miniature Pearl Diamond Gold Portrait Pin Cushion
Located in Bay Harbor Islands, FL
This miniature portrait of a young lady centers this unique gold pin 'cushion' with 14 removable pins, each topped with a pearl. Portrait is surrounded with small single cut old mine...
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1860s Victorian Diamond and Ruby Yellow Gold Belt Buckle
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional Victorian 0.19 carat ruby and 0.18 carat diamond, 20 karat yellow gold belt buckle; part of our diverse antique jewelry and estate jewelry collections. This exceptional Victorian belt buckle has been crafted in 20k yellow gold. The pierced decorated, rectangular frame is embellished with a three dimensional floriate design. The buckle is embellished with eleven Dutch cut diamonds displayed alternately between eleven round cut rubies. The diamonds and rubies are set to the centre of applied trefoil flower shaped collet settings. The inner and outer borders of this frame and prong buckle have a ribbed decoration. The buckle secures with a three prong swivel chape to the centre of the design. This antique Victorian belt buckle...
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold
Victorian-Era Etched Floral with Inlaid "Floral Lady" 3-Piece Silver Belt Buckle
Located in New York, NY
Magnificently detailed, this 3-piece Victorian-era etched Silver buckle of beautiful florals on all three pieces highlights the center buckle with inlaid "Floral Lady". All ...
Victorian Sterling Silver Vinaigrette/Scent Bottle
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Crafted by the renowned London silversmiths Sampson Mordan & Co. is this Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Vinaigrette/Scent Bottle, Circa 1870-71....
Sterling Silver
Impressive Victorian Banded Agate Desk Seal
Located in Brisbane City, QLD
This monumental desk seal dates to the Victorian era and has been carved from a large piece of banded agate. The faceted piece of agate features heavy ...
Agate
Large Victorian Carnelian Desk Seal With Blank Matrix
Located in Brisbane City, QLD
This oversized desk seal dates to the Victorian period and is wonderful in that the matrix on it remains blank. The seal which dates to circa 1870 is ve...
Carnelian
14K Yellow Gold Retro Ridged Tie Bar, Unisex, 1990s, 2.3g
Located in Palm Desert, CA
14 Karat Ridged Tie Bar. Simple design yet sophisticated piece that will add a nice detail to any tie. The top of the tie bar has a zig-zag design and the enti...
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
$398 / item
W 0.25 in D 0.25 in L 4.75 in
Tiffany & Co. 1981 Angela Cummings Aerodynamic Twisted Pen .925 Sterling Silver
By Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.
Located in Miami, FL
Sculptural twisted pen designed by Angela Cummings. Sculptural pen, created back in the 1981 in New York city at the Tiffany Studios. This fabulous sculpt...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Alex Jona Sterling Silver Men's Money Clip
By Alex Jona
Located in Lugano, TI
Alex Jona design collection, hand crafted in Italy, rhodium plated Sterling Silver money clip. Dimensions: 2.32 in. L x 0.85 in. W x 0.36 in. D - 59 mm. L x 22 mm. W x 10 mm. D Alex...
Sterling Silver
$1,192Sale Price|20% Off
Akoya Pearls Necklace 14k Y Gold Ball Clasp Certified
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Fine Quality Akoya Pearls Necklace 38" 14k Y Gold Ball Clasp 8.52 mm $8,790 216205 Custom Made Designer Flapper Japanese Akoya Pearl! This is a Unique Cus...
Pearl, Gold
$646Sale Price|20% Off
ST Dupont Lighter Laque de Chine Blue Gold Original France Paris
By Cartier
Located in Neguri, Vizcaya
ST Dupont Lighter Laque de Chine Blue Gold Original France Paris with box Dimensions Height: 6cm / 2,36 inches Width: 3,5cm / 1,37 inches Depth: . 1 cm / 0...
Gold Plate
Alex Jona Sterling Silver Men's Money Clip
By Alex Jona
Located in Lugano, TI
Alex Jona hand crafted in Italy, rhodium plated Sterling Silver money clip. Dimensions: 2.22 in. L x 0.90 in. W x 0.32 in. D - 56 mm. L x 22 mm. W x 8 mm. D. Alex Jona gifts stand o...
Sterling Silver
$607
H 3 in W 2.87 in D 0.37 in
Early 20th Century Antique Silver Enamel Figures in Garden Scene Compact
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Antique enamel and 800 silver compact. The rectangular top is enclosed by a rocaille scrollwork border with faux-lapis lazuli and faux-turquoise enamel inlay, centering a scene of a ...
Silver, Enamel
Antique 18 Carat Yellow Gold Cameo Brooch
Located in Chipping Campden, GB
The sweet image on this delicately carved cameo brooch is of a lovely lady with gorgeous detail. The carving is set in a very simple 18carat gold frame. Dimensions: 32x25mm Weigh...
Yellow Gold
Antique Silver Goddess Flora Cameo Brooch
Located in New York, NY
This antique cameo brooch features Flora, the Roman Goddess of spring and flowers, captured in a graceful back view with her head turned in profile. The finely detailed carving showc...
Silver
$14,237Sale Price|20% Off
Montblanc, Piston Fountain Pen, Patron of the Art Sir Henry Tate 888 Limited
By Montblanc
Located in Braintree, GB
18kt solid yellow gold piston fountain pen with diamonds and mother of pearl, and 18kt gold nib, fully hallmarked. Limited edition number 792 of 888. The retractable Au 750 solid gold nib is adorned with the engraving of a sugar cane plant...
Diamond, 18k Gold
$418 / item
Alex Jona Sterling Silver Men's Money Clip
By Alex Jona
Located in Lugano, TI
Alex Jona design collection, hand crafted in Italy, rhodium plated Sterling Silver money clip. Alex Jona gifts stand out, not only for their special design and for the excellent qua...
Sterling Silver
Navajo Needlepoint Turquoise Concho Belt
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Navajo needlepoint concho belt. Signed LMB, marked sterling. 11 conchos total. Exceptional design on each concho, featuring floral style center with complementary scalloped silverwork and final layer of turquoise framing concho. Old Pawn. Acquired from a Navajo trader. PERIOD: After 1950 ORIGIN: Navajo, Southwest SIZE: Total Belt Length 62 1/2" Leather; conchos 2 1/4"D The word “concho” sometimes spelled “concha”, comes from the Spanish word meaning shell. Some of the first “conchos” were made of melted silver dollars and resembled a shell. Concho belts reportedly began appearing in Navajo country in the late 1860s. Other Native Americans including Zuni and Hopi also made traditional concho belts before long. Concho belts can cost into the thousands of dollars depending upon the craftsmanship, amount of silver, rarity of turquoise and stones used. Belts in the upper end of the price scales are usually made before the turn of the century. Buyers should deal with reputable dealers as many fakes and look-a-likes exist. A well-made belt with age to it will fetch a bigger premium and hold its value better. The earliest concho belts are now referred to as “First Phase” belts. This style of belt was made before Native silversmith had learned much about soldering. The conchos were hammered out from melted coins, cut, and filed into shape, engraved and a diamond shape slot was cut out of the middle of the concho, with a bar left across the center of the diamond shaped slot for the leather loop. Conchos that required no soldering are generally thought to be made from 1860-1880. Second phase conchos were done 1890-1900s in which silversmith began to solder. Third phase conchos is when you start to see the “butterfly” or “bow” appear between conchos and the use of turquoise as an adornment. A butterfly (bow) is a smaller concho in between bigger conchos. A belt with butterflies and sometimes turquoise would be from the early 1900s – 1930s. The timelines may slightly differentiate depending upon who you ask. Natives first had concho belts for personal use only, but around the turn of the last century, tourist demand had kicked in and a new outlet emerged. belts & buckles jewelry silver belts conchos navajo needlepoint southwest turquoise...
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Sold
Dm 0.75 in L 7 in
Victorian Trembler Spring Hat Pin w Amethyst Molded Glass Crystal - 7", ca 1900
Located in Tucson, AZ
A necessity during the Victorian Era, hat pins not only balanced precarious hats atop piles of hair but also moonlighted as weapons against overzealous gentlemen. Though teetering ha...
Crystal, Brass
19th Century Antique 18kt Yellow Gold Micro-Mosaic Dog Brooch
Located in Firenze, IT
Period: 19th century Provenance: Italy Dimensions: 5,2 x 7 cm Weight: 42,5 gr The brooch, rectangular in shape, dates to the 19th century and is characterised by an 18-karat gold fr...
Yellow Gold
Fabergé Gold and Enamel Cigarette Case
By Fabergé
Located in Weston, MA
This bicolor gold and enamel cigarette case by Fabergé features an applied moss agate oval decoration set within a seed pearl and gold border. The body is decorated with yellow guilloche enamel and applied laurel bands at the base and cover. The case is finished with a cabochon sapphire thumbpiece. It is hallmarked Fabergé with makers mark for Henrik Wigström. Henrik Wigström (1862-1923) was one of the most important Fabergé work-masters. He joined the firm in 1884 as assistant to Michael Perchin and upon Perchin’s death in 1903 he became head work-master. The two were responsible for almost all of the Imperial Easter eggs produced by Fabergé, as well as superbly crafted enamel and gold objects...
Agate, Pearl, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, En...
Sold
W 0.79 in D 0.79 in L 7.49 in
Antique 19th Century French 18k Gold Convertible Ring Bracelet Pave Diamond
Located in London, GB
This exceptionally designed ring has a secret… It is also a bracelet! The adaptable piece of jewellery was originally made in France and has hallmarks which date it to between 1838 ...
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique 9k Gold Propelling Pencil, Sardonyx Seal
Located in NEWARK, GB
There is something quite magical about antique gold propelling pencils, perhaps for me it is the fact that the Victorian's managed to turn such a sim...
Onyx, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Victorian 12K Gold Cased and Carnelian Fob with Intaglio Portrait
Located in Venice, CA
Originally a watch fob, this unique Victorian era antique can also be worn as a fashionable pendant. The fob is 12k gold-cased and features a carnelian gemstone, carved with an intaglio depicting a portrait of a mans profile. Traditionally, during the Victorian era, fobs were worn by gentlemen as a sign of status and elegance. When pressed against a wax seal, the intaglio is revealed as a personal mark or signature used to sign documents. The portrait featured on this luminous red-orange gem...
Carnelian, Gold, Gold-filled, Yellow Gold
Victorian Sterling Silver Vesta Case, Compass
By A&J Zimmerman Ltd.
Located in NEWARK, GB
An attractive and rare antique, Victorian era sterling silver vesta case with an inset compass. This vesta is a good size with a smooth polished fi...
Rare, Austro Hungarian, 18 Karat Yellow Gold Chatelaine Chain
Located in Brisbane City, QLD
This very rare 18 karat yellow gold chatelaine chain was crafted in the then Austro Hungarian empire in the middle of the 19th Century. The piece is cr...
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Gold and Diamond Lorgnette, c. 1890
Located in Aspen, CO
Antique gold and diamond lorgnette made in American in the late 19th century. This fine example of antique lorgnettes is 4 5/8th inches long, and 1 ...
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold
Antique Tiffany & Co. Seal Pendant Necklace, circa 1880
Located in Aspen, CO
Tiffany & Co antique pendant/fob depicting Perseus son of Zeus, slayer of Medusa and protector of the Good (in this case a mother and child). He is shielding them from the rigors of...
14k Gold, Sterling Silver
Victorian Steel Cornucopia Desk Stamp
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The cornucopia, also called the horn of plenty, is a symbol of abundance and nourishment. In Greek mythology, it is the horn of Amalthea, the goat nursing baby Zeus. Nowadays, In most of North-America often associated with Thanksgiving. This clever and pretty steel desk seal stamps...
Steel
Large Victorian French 18 Karat Gold Silver Diamond Letter Opener Objet D Art
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Letter opener is designed as a sword with an elongated blade Hilt is ornate with a spiraling yellow gold twisted rope motif Set throughout with rose cut and old mine cut diamonds -...
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver