Antique Jewelry

Collecting antique jewelry is a two-fold hobby. On the one hand, it is a pleasure to search, find and get hold of the most beautiful and special pieces to include them in our collections. On the other hand, quality jewelry is always a great investment that increases in value over time. The beautiful designs and noble materials used in the making of antique jewelry pieces make their designs never go out of fashion, remaining as beautiful and current as when they were made.

Brief history of jewelry

The passion for adorning oneself with precious materials has accompanied men and women since the earliest times of mankind. In prehistoric times, when metals were not yet known, human beings embellished themselves with jewelry and ornaments made from mollusk shells. The earliest known pieces of jewelry come from South Africa and date back to the Stone Age: this means that the passion for jewelry has been with man for 75,000-100,000 years. It was not until the Copper Age (7,000 years ago) that the first metal jewelry was made; but in reality, the real passion for jewelry was born in Antique Egypt, when ornamentation made of noble metals and precious stones was used as a form of embellishment, a symbol of power and part of the funerary trousseau.

During Classical Greece the use of jewelry was reserved for women, who wore it on special occasions (a custom that survives to this day). In Antique Rome, on the other hand, jewelry was worn by both men and women. In Antique Rome, wealthy patricians retained the Etruscan custom of wearing an iron ring to indicate their status. Initially (321 BC), the gold ring (annulus aureus) was reserved only for nobles with official positions, but over time its use was extended to all social strata. There were also signet rings to mark official documents. Rings and brooches for fastening clothes were highly prized jewelry by the Romans, while women wore necklaces, bracelets, pendants and rings.

Throughout the Middle Ages many of the Roman designs were maintained; noteworthy in these centuries was the use of precious and semi-precious stones in brooches, necklaces, crowns, rings... Cameos were also very popular. After a period of expansion during the Renaissance, in the First French Empire (Napoleon I's time) French jewelry experienced a great boom that continued during the nineteenth century. In the United States, the Tiffany firm emerged (1837), which shared the first world positions with Cartier in France and Bulgari in Italy. These great firms remain in our days, sharing space with new designers who use materials such as steel and more affordable stones. In this way, jewelry today is an affordable luxury that undoubtedly makes a difference.

Types of antique jewelry

Nowadays we have access to a wide variety of antique jewelry, coming from all over the world and made of gold, silver and platinum. There are magnificent pieces full of charm and beauty: rings, bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces, tiaras, pendants, bracelets... These pieces of antique jewelry display all their attractiveness compared to recently manufactured jewelry, which in no way reach their interest or personality. Because antique jewelry are real treasures, worthy of kings of yesteryear or those elegant ladies who shone in the salons of the late nineteenth century.