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

 Welcome to the Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast, and now your host Sonia Esther Soltani.

I hope you enjoy this episode with Susan.

[00:00:01] Suzanne: I'm well, and thank you for having me.

[00:00:21] Suzanne: Actually, it's sandwiched between Victorian, and it overlaps Art Nouveau, and then it transitions into Art Deco. So, you know, with jewelry periods, sometimes people don't realize a jeweler doesn't start making one style and then stop on a certain date. It's a transition from one to another. So, we see transitions from the Victorian to the Edwardian. So, in the 1890s, We see a lot of jewelry that's made in platinum over gold. They started using, so it's a sandwich of a piece of platinum on top of the gold. And that was the first use of platinum, the first major use of platinum because we didn't have the technology available yet. So [00:01:00] During that time period they were putting acetylene gas into tanks and oxygen into tanks So they were able to use a torch which they could actually melt platinum with because it melts at a very high temperature . So until that could happen platinum didn't become a major factor in jewelry and Edwardian jewelry until right after that transition of the platinum over gold became a hundred percent platinum and that was what's so important about it is the white metal and everything was delicate and lacy, you know, Victoria had had England in mourning for, you know, many, many years from the late 1860s all the way up until her death. So everybody was wearing black and it was just very depressing. So people couldn't wait to get out and, you know, have a new life. And at the same time, we had, a lot of, industrial things that were happening. which is why the Art Nouveau period that they were kind of rebelling against the Industrial Revolution, whereas, the people that were buying the Edwardian jewelry were the ones that were prospering [00:02:00] from it. So a lot of diamonds, diamonds and platinum. So I'm wearing a couple of pieces that just kind of exemplify this. I don't know if we can see it close enough and I don't know what the detail is with my camera, but we'll have a picture of it later that I'll send you. But it's like lace, so it's very, very delicate. So it's all open pierce work, tiny little diamonds that are set off with milgrain details, which is like a little tiny, tiny beadwork around the diamonds, which makes the diamonds really pop. The earrings that I'm wearing are set with natural pearls, which were another stone that was used extensively during the Edwardian period. And you can see there's little tiny diamonds. They look like they're floating because one of the techniques that was used in this period was using a knife edge wire, and it's articulated with the little diamonds along it, so they just float there. So that was one of the techniques that was used. So a lot of the motifs that we see are bows. garlands and lace. And that's what people were wearing as well. And so these people were different than the Art Nouveau people, but [00:03:00] they occurred at the exact same time. Once in a while, we'll see an Edwardian piece that is made in platinum, but it has an Art Nouveau style to it because people still wanted that new Art Nouveau essence, but they wanted it in diamonds and platinum. Art Nouveau jewelry is almost 100 percent made in yellow gold.

[00:03:35] Suzanne: in the later Edwardian, yes, but in the early Edwardian, it was still, you know, very much garlands and bows. So very feminine, extremely feminine. And the colored gemstones that were used are of course the gems that were being mined at the time. But Alexandra, Edward's wife, she liked pastels. So you will see pink stones and powder blue Ceylon sapphires. So very pale [00:04:00] stones as well became very popular.

[00:04:12] Suzanne: And that's an interesting fact because if you think about it, Victoria, she affected the whole world's style, as far as jewelry was concerned. And the minute Alexandra and Edward came into power, it all switched to what she was wearing. And it changed very quickly. Of course, at that point, people were really ready for it.

But very, very feminine.

[00:04:48] Suzanne: I think there... People don't realize that a lot of jewelry was recycled, so as styles changed, went into Art Deco, pieces of jewelry would be remodeled into the new, latest [00:05:00] style . For example, we don't see a lot of solitaire diamond rings from the Edwardian period because they were reset. They were taken out of their mountings. but a lot of dinner rings survived and I think dinner rings are quite an art form. Here's a dinner ring by Marcus and Company, an American company. And the diamonds tended to be set in bezels with the milgrain edge again. They're almost always, and they're very flush to the finger. I don't know if you can see how close that is to my finger. So Edwardian rings are actually very easy to wear, whether they have a colored stone in them or they're all diamonds. They're extremely easy to wear because they're very flush to the hand. That was one of the styles that they, you know, embraced. You know, one of my, the classic things that our customers are looking for earrings are really popular. Edwardian earrings are, we never have enough Edwardian earrings. They're easy to wear. I mean, look at the earrings I have on. They're lovely. And they go with just about anything, you know, very simple and elegant. They don't tend to be over the top, like the pendants are. I mean, this pendant[00:06:00] it's a work of art. a jeweler's art, as well as just the stylistic. part of the piece. So, those are pieces that if someone's going to buy something like this, they're going to fall in love with this piece, right? That's what jewelry collectors do. Many times they'll look for a long time to find just that right piece of Edwardian jewelry that they love, but it has to be something that they fall in love with. So, I think there's, earrings are great, pendants. So this pendant was always a pendant. A lot of them also have a pin back. So they started as a pin with a little folding bail on the top so they could be worn two ways, which gives you a little bit of a diversity when you're wearing it. And a lot of them were converted to pendants. So you have two ways to wear something, which is nice. We don't see too many bracelets. bracelets get a lot of wear. So when somebody is wearing it on their wrist, your wrist is always touching things. So they get a lot of wear. a lot of the [00:07:00] bracelets that we have that survive are from that early Edwardian period where it's platinum over gold with small diamonds and some maybe small calibré stones, maybe small Demantoid garnets, a little color. And those have survived, and I think partially because it's backed in gold, it's a little stronger, a little more durable. a lot of the Edwardian bracelets we get, that if they're in good enough condition to resell, are super delicate. they have a tiny little, almost this knife edge feel to it, for the bracelet part, with a little piece of lace that's diamond set in the middle. And they're lovely and easy to wear, if you can find them.

[00:07:54] Suzanne: And those very special pieces are kept in the royal families. So they rarely, rarely come up for [00:08:00] auction. that's the other thing, the auction houses have gotten to the point where they only are selling the over the top, the best of the best, the cream of the crop. Whereas if you're going into, you know, if you're shopping and looking for a piece, don't have a selection of tiaras in my store that are from the Edwardian period. And very few people do. But smaller, more wearable pieces are still available. And those are things you rarely see at auction because the auction houses want to sell more important jewelry. So it's kind of, where do you look for them? It's a quest. So you have to, find stores like our store Lang Antiques. You know, we're kind of, there aren't a lot of stores like us around in the United States. There's always a handful, that means that you're going to have to go on a little quest to find something if you like this period.

[00:09:07] Suzanne: it's both. I mean, it's really nice if it's signed, but we see pieces that are as fine as a signed house would make, but they're not signed. Many times The jewelers don't work, specifically for one house. Sometimes they did, but not always. So there would be, you know, a jeweler had his atelier, and he would work for all the major houses because they were the craftsmen.

[00:09:38] Suzanne: And each country has different techniques of manufacturing that are kind of stylistically different. because I'm in America, I see more pieces that are made in our country. And I always think some of our platinum work, because we developed a lot of the technology, is some of the best. Edwardian and Art Deco jewelry is, I consider, really some of the best. Of course, you have the finest French [00:10:00] pieces in French houses. And they do fabulous pieces. And the royal jewelry is fabulous. But the jewelry for everyday people, I think, is finer in the United States than it was. In, European countries, but I'm jaded.

[00:10:23] Suzanne: we have a website called Antique Jewelry University and we have a lot of information on there about all the different periods of jewelry. And we just started, our blog about a month and a half ago. So every two weeks we're posting a blog and we have one on Edwardian. And we kind of take it from the perspective of where do we start? Where do we learn about the basics of these pieces? And how to ask questions about them. Because if you're not, working with somebody who understands the jewelry, you don't even know what to ask. I'm a forensic gemologist, so I look at things like, how is it made? [00:11:00] What materials is it made out of? What's the technology necessary to make it? What gemstones were available at that time? So when you're looking at a piece of jewelry, you want to make sure all those things add up and are correct. And how do you do it as an individual if you're not a forensic gemologist? So you have to make sure that the people you're working with are really are experts. And there aren't that many of them. So, finding sources and, individual people that carry the kind of jewelry that you like and that can discuss it and talk about it, I think is really important. And auction houses are a great resource because most of the people that work at auction houses are extremely knowledgeable about all the periods of jewelry. So that's, you can go to an auction preview and look at one piece of Edwardian jewelry and ask a lot of questions and learn a lot. Or you can be book learned. this is just my small library. I have a big library at the store and there's just so much to learn.

[00:12:36] Suzanne: They tend to be more educated. Um, and they're looking for more knowledge. One of the areas on our website that's most visited is our hallmark pages because people want to recognize who made my jewelry. And many times the stamp. doesn't say Marcus and Company. Marcus does say Marcus and Company or M and Co, but most jewelers didn't say that. They'll have a little symbol. So how do you find out [00:13:00] which symbol mine is? So we have a whole library, a huge library that we have been amassing. So we have pictures, we have information about the jewelers. We have more resources. So if you want to find out more about the gemstone in so we have gemstone resources. We have, all the different periods historically that we've written on, so we have articles. Like I said, we've been propagating this for about, 23 years now, so it is an encyclopedia of all things jewelry history. And you can just skim the surface, or you can dive very deep on any subject, and we have a glossary, which is great because people have a term. What does that term mean? What do they mean by fin de siècle, the end of the century? What do they mean by, plique a jour? Which is, you know, open to the light. So all those things are detailed and many of them have not just a description, but it'll have an illustration. because we also are a commercial website and we or constantly cycling jewelry [00:14:00] through, it gives you a place to go and look and see what's available now that is, not just a picture of something that's static and it's always going to be there. so we have all kinds of information.

[00:14:18] Suzanne: the rabbit hole.

[00:14:42] Suzanne: Know, jewelry designs cycle through time. I mean, we've just had about two to three years of really dominant yellow gold has been super popular at our store. Heavier things, mid century things to the late 80s and 90s you know, gold bold jewelry [00:15:00] has been very popular and signed jewelry has been very popular from that same period. So this isn't what people are, you know, buying more than anything else at this time. However, we always have customers looking for special pieces in it. You know, every, people that buy antique and estate jewelry, they already have a special style of their own. They're looking to add to their collection. So there are always collectors for it. But as far as the masses are concerned, it is something that takes a little bit of education. And you have to have a passion for it. You don't have to have a passion. You can start collecting any time. But it's not something that everybody. shops for, you know, it's not like you're going to see it in an advertisement that every jeweler in America is making that same style because it is so unique. And each piece of Edwardian jewelry is handmade. Each piece is handmade and they're all one of a kind. And those are kind of telltale signs when you're looking at a piece of jewelry. If it's been cast, it's [00:16:00] not Edwardian. So you have to learn to differentiate that, too. A loupe is really a good tool. If somebody is, wants to become a collector, get a loupe and have somebody show you how to use it. And start looking at every piece of jewelry you get the opportunity to look at. And Edwardian is some of the most exquisite jewelry just because of the way it's made.

[00:16:33] Suzanne: Now that's a really good point because the back of an Edwardian jewel, many times, is as good as the front.

[00:16:40] Suzanne: Let's see if we can see it. And

[00:16:47] Suzanne: it's extremely detailed. Look at... one of the interesting things about these pieces when they're... This is probably made in about 1905. And these pieces, the very first ones, were actually saw cut. [00:17:00] With a tiny, thin, I don't even know how thin the saw blades to get in and create this little lace. So they were sawn from one solid flat sheet. I also have seen many pieces that were put together by little tiny pieces of wire. So, they're just incredible feats of workmanship. If you like jewelry and you want to know how they're made, I would start with Edwardian. Yeah, definitely.

[00:17:28] Suzanne: It was my pleasure.

 Thank you for listening to the Jewelry Connoisseur podcast by Rappaport Jewelry Pro. This episode was hosted by Sonia Ester Soltani and produced and edited by Vanina You can find all our episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and read more about diamonds, colored gemstones, high jewelry designers, estate jewelry, and the latest jewelry trends on Rappaport. com slash Jewelry Connoisseur. Please subscribe to get all our new episodes and if you liked this one, leave us a review.