Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

A mid Victorian shell fringe necklace, composed of a fringe of graduated white cockle shell drops, claw set and suspended from a uniform gold ropetwist chain, with plain cylindrical clasp, necklace length 44cm. £300-£500

Whilst wearing ornaments composed of parts of animals and plants has a history as long as human kind, the Victorian period saw this fashion rise to a whole new level. The Voyage of the Beagle (1839) and Darwin’s later publication On the Origin of Species (1859), together with the formation of new societies such as the Entomological Society (1833) and the ‘Animal Products’ collection displayed at the South Kensington Museum (1851 onwards), all encouraged and reflected a rising interest classifying and collecting the natural world. The study of birds, insects and shells became an acceptable drawing room pastime and this interest is reflected in an explosion in the use of such materials in jewellery, from mounted hummingbird head brooches, to scarab beetle rings, to shell necklaces.
Jewellery historians Judy Rudoe and Charlotte Gere, writing on the subject, note that natural shells were deemed particularly appropriate for girls or young women.

See Rudoe, J. & Gere, C., Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria: A mirror to the world, British Museum Press, 2010.