Podcast: The Delicate Age of Edwardian Jewelry

Suzanne Martinez, co-owner of Lang Antiques, highlights the key features of the era’s innovations and influences.

After the dark, broody style of the Victorian mourning era, jewelry wearers were ready for a lighter aesthetic as the 20th century began, says forensic gemologist and jewelry expert Suzanne Martinez. The accession of Queen Victoria’s son Edward VII and his stylish wife Alexandra to the throne in 1901 marked a new period in fashion.

The Edwardian era overlapped with the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements and was particularly remarkable for its use of platinum, which offered new design possibilities and material longevity, Martinez relates.

In the latest episode of the Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast, the San Francisco-based dealer explores the period’s techniques and jewelry language. For the recording, she wore three exceptional examples of Edwardian jewelry, which are featured below.

Martinez also shares how jewelry lovers can expand their knowledge through Antique Jewelry University, a section of the Lang Antiques website that explains the history and styles of ornamentation over the years.

To listen to the Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast, click below.

This episode — along with the two previous seasons — is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

The Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast is hosted by Rapaport Editor in Chief Sonia Esther Soltani, and produced and edited by Vanina Pikholc.

Marcus & Co. Edwardian diamond dinner ring set with a 1.20-carat, antique cushion-cut diamond and 1.55 carats of old mine-cut diamonds, in platinum, circa 1910. (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)
Marcus & Co. Edwardian diamond dinner ring set with a 1.20-carat, antique cushion-cut diamond and 1.55 carats of old mine-cut diamonds, in platinum, circa 1910. (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)
Edwardian drop earrings set with European-cut and old mine-cut  diamonds and natural saltwater pearls in platinum over 14-karat gold, dating back to the first or second decade of the twentieth century. (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)
Edwardian drop earrings set with European-cut and old mine-cut diamonds and natural saltwater pearls in platinum over 14-karat gold, dating back to the first or second decade of the twentieth century. (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)
Edwardian platinum pendant centered by a 0.33-carat, old mine-cut diamond, accented on each side by ribbon-like diamond flourishes and set atop a navette-shaped honeycomb pattern. Also features rose and old mine-cut diamonds. Circa 1910.  (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)
Edwardian platinum pendant centered by a 0.33-carat, old mine-cut diamond, accented on each side by ribbon-like diamond flourishes and set atop a navette-shaped honeycomb pattern. Also features rose and old mine-cut diamonds. Circa 1910. (Lang Antique & Estate Jewelry)

Podcast: The Delicate Age of Edwardian Jewelry

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