Victorian inspired steampunk insect jewelry
has risen in popularity, but few know the history of these designs are
echos of elegant designs made more than a century ago. Throughout the
Victorian era, images of the natural world were popular in jewelry,
fashion, and furniture design.
One of my most popular Time Flies
necklace designs harkens back
to earlier designs. I made this large statement pendant with an ivory
colored antique pocket watch face, probably art deco, with red and black
numbering. The
detailed antiqued gold and brass butterfly stamping is reminiscent of
art nouveau designs by the French designer Vever. 
Vever
was a family-owned jewelry design house that opened in 1821 in Metz,
France. They specialized in precious gem setting as well as
semi-precious and organic gemstones, creating high quality art nouveau
designs popular with upscale clientele. The family company won a Grand
Prize for gem-set jewelery at the 1899 Paris International Exposition,
and contributed to exhibitions in Moscow (1891),
Chicago (1893), and Brussels (1897). The firm won a second Grand
Prize at Paris’s 1900 International Exposition for their exquisite
gem-set
Art Nouveau jewelry designs. 
This
1894 Late Victorian evening gown is from the archive of the Victoria
and Albert museum - you can get lost for hours! Made in a gorgeous black
accented with glass beads and sequins, trimmed
with tulle, embroidered net in a design of butterflies applied to the
skirt and bodice, lined with silk, the bodice strengthened on the inside
with whalebone. The large sleeves are also typical of this period, a revival of similar 1830s balloon style sleeve, called l'imbecile (silly) or a la folle
(foolish). These exaggerated sleeve styles often required small down
shoulder pillows, called sleeve pumpers. From the 1840s until the brief
revival in the 1890s, sleeves were more tailored.
Pictured at right, this Compass Rose Design
custom dragonfly design was a custom request - I love how it turned out
with the amethyst Swarovksi crystal drop bead detail. Again, this brass
dragonfly has incredible detailing and fabulous whimsy. Victorians put
great stock in symbolic romantic ideas, drawing upon ancient symbols in
sentimental designs.
These
jewelry designs reflect the late nineteenth-century interest in the
natural world, including moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and others.
The diamond, sapphire and pearl dragonfly brooch is art nouveau - circa
1890-1905.
My
Compass Rose Design Jewelry mechanical clockwork beetle ring is a
revival of a late nineteenth century beetle design. I've added a
steampunk element with the antique mechanical jeweled watch movement.
This design combines industrial elements with late Victorian romantic
and natural design qualities. I have this design in both a ring and
pendant version.
The late Victorian original that inspired me is pictured at left. The body of this elegant gold insect pin is fashioned from a
stuning pearl, the head set with green garnets and
its eyes represented by two faceted diamonds. The brooch is marked on
its hook "J & M" for the firm of Jacques & Marcus,
which operated in New York from about 1882 to 1892.
You can see more of my Compass Rose Design Jewelry Steampunk and Victorian Insect Jewelry in my etsy shop.
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