Antique jewelry is full of materials you rarely see today: fossilized wood, early plastics, imitation gold and stones made from glass. Knowing what they are helps you date a piece, care for it properly and appreciate the ingenuity behind it. I'm Tiffany, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) and a GIA-certified diamond grader, and these are the materials I come across most often in antique jewelry.
For the names, styles and techniques of antique jewelry, see our A to Z of antique jewelry terms, and for the meaning behind the motifs, our guide to Victorian symbolism in jewelry.
Amber: Amber is fossilized tree resin, millions of years old, prized for its warm honey to cognac tones. Much antique and vintage amber comes from the Baltic coast. It is very light and warm to the touch, which helps distinguish it from glass and plastic imitations. Example: Vintage 1930s Amber Silver Swedish Ring.
Bakelite: Bakelite was the first fully synthetic plastic, developed by the chemist Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907. In the 1930s it became hugely popular for chunky, colorful bangles, brooches and beads, and vintage Bakelite is now very collectible. Example: Vintage 1930s Green Bakelite Bangle.
Bog oak: Bog oak is ancient wood preserved for thousands of years in peat bogs, which turns it dark brown to black. It was carved and molded into jewelry in Ireland in the mid-19th century, often with shamrocks, harps and Celtic crosses, and sold as souvenirs and as an affordable alternative to jet. See an example at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Bone: Carved bone was a less expensive alternative to ivory, used for brooches, beads and carved pendants. Under magnification, bone shows tiny dark specks and channels that ivory does not.
Celluloid: Celluloid was one of the first plastics, patented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1870. It could imitate ivory, tortoiseshell and coral, and was used for bangles, combs and hair ornaments from the late 19th century to the 1940s. Celluloid is flammable, so keep it away from heat. Example: 1930s to 1940s Clear Celluloid Snake Bangle.
Coral: Precious red and pink coral, mostly from the Mediterranean, was carved in Italy, especially around Naples and Torre del Greco. The Victorians loved it for necklaces, brooches and bracelets, and coral was traditionally given to babies on rattles and teething rings, as it was believed to protect children. Example: Antique Victorian Coral Silver Chain Wrap Bracelet.
Cut steel: Cut steel jewelry is made from small faceted steel studs riveted onto a backplate, so that it glitters like diamonds. It was a specialty of English makers in the 18th century, notably in Woodstock and in Matthew Boulton's Birmingham workshops, and remained popular through the 19th century. Example: Antique Victorian Cut Steel Drop Earrings.
15K gold: 15 karat gold was one of the legal gold standards in Britain from 1854 to 1932, alongside 12K and 9K. It is often found in Victorian and Edwardian jewelry, hallmarked "15" with ".625", its gold content. It was replaced by 14K in 1932, so a 15K piece can help confirm a date. Example: Edwardian 1911 Pink Tourmaline and Seed Pearl 15K Gold Bangle.
French ivory: Despite the name, French ivory is not ivory at all but celluloid, made to imitate it, often with fine lines running through it like the grain of real ivory. Example: Vintage 1950s French Ivory Leaf Brooch.
French jet: French jet is black glass, used as a cheaper and more durable alternative to Whitby jet. It feels colder and heavier than real jet and is often faceted to catch the light. Example: Antique Victorian French Jet Choker Necklace.
Gold-filled: Gold-filled jewelry has a thick layer of gold bonded to a base metal core. In the US, it must contain at least one-twentieth gold by weight, far more than gold plating, so it is durable and keeps its color. Example: Turquoise 14K Gold-Filled Beaded Necklace.
Gutta percha: Gutta percha is a natural latex from trees of Southeast Asia, introduced to Britain in 1843. It could be molded when warm, and was used for inexpensive black mourning jewelry. It is often confused with vulcanite. See an example made in London in the 1850s at the Science Museum.
Hair: Human hair was woven, plaited and arranged into jewelry, especially in the Victorian era. It was worn in remembrance of those who had died and as a token of love between the living. Hairwork is fragile, so it should never be cleaned with water. Example: Victorian 1860s Whitby Jet Mourning Hairwork Pendant.
Horn: Horn can be heated and pressed into molds, and the Victorians used pressed horn for affordable brooches, often in floral designs for mourning. Art Nouveau jewelers also carved horn into delicate natural forms. Example: Victorian 1880 Pressed Horn Floral Mourning Brooch.
Ivory: Elephant ivory was carved into brooches, bangles and beads for centuries. Today the sale of elephant ivory is heavily restricted in the US under both federal and state law, so it is important to know whether a piece is ivory or an imitation such as bone or celluloid.
Jet: Jet is fossilized wood, formed around 180 million years ago, and the finest comes from Whitby on the Yorkshire coast. After Prince Albert's death in 1861, Queen Victoria's mourning made jet hugely fashionable, and Whitby's jet workshops reached their peak in the 1870s. Real jet is light and warm to the touch. Example: Victorian 1860s Whitby Jet Mourning Hairwork Pendant, or browse our Victorian jewelry.
Kingfisher feathers: In China, the iridescent blue feathers of the kingfisher were cut and inlaid into gilded metal to create hair ornaments and jewelry of extraordinary color, a technique known as tian-tsui. See a Qing dynasty hairpin at the RISD Museum.
Lava: Lava from around Mount Vesuvius was carved into cameos in the 19th century and sold to travelers visiting Naples on the Grand Tour. Lava cameos come in soft shades of gray, cream, olive and brown. Example: Antique Victorian Lava Cameo Bar Brooch.
Marcasite: The "marcasite" in jewelry is actually pyrite, also known as fool's gold. Small faceted pyrite stones, usually set in silver, give a soft sparkle and were especially popular in the Art Deco period. See a 1920s example by Bernard Instone at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Mother of pearl: Mother of pearl is the iridescent lining of shells such as the pearl oyster. It was used for buttons, cufflinks, inlay and baby rattles, and for the backs of Georgian and Victorian seed pearl jewelry. Example: Antique Mother of Pearl and Silver Cufflinks.
Niello: Niello is a black mixture of metal sulfides, usually silver, copper and lead, inlaid into engraved silver to create a crisp black design. It has an ancient history and was widely used in Thai silver jewelry in the mid-20th century. Example: Vintage 1940s Siam Silver Nielloware Necklace.
Paste: Paste is high-quality glass cut to imitate gemstones. Georgian paste was often foiled behind for extra sparkle and is collectible in its own right. It is also called strass, after Georg Friedrich Strass, the 18th-century Paris jeweler who perfected it. Example: Antique Victorian 1880s Paste Heart Necklace.
Piqué: Piqué is tortoiseshell inlaid with tiny pieces of gold and silver, set into the softened shell so they are held fast as it cools. It was made in Naples from the 17th century, and from the 1870s piqué jewelry was made in larger quantities in Birmingham. Example: Antique Victorian Piqué Tortoiseshell Cross Necklace.
Pinchbeck: Pinchbeck is an alloy of copper and zinc invented in the early 18th century by Christopher Pinchbeck, a London clockmaker. It looked like gold but was lighter and much cheaper, and was used for chains, chatelaines, buckles and watch cases. Example: Antique Victorian Pinchbeck Belcher Chain Necklace.
Rock crystal: Rock crystal is colorless quartz. It has been carved and faceted for jewelry for centuries, used for Georgian mourning pieces, Victorian lockets and Art Deco designs, and frosted to give a soft, icy finish. In the Victorian era, domed rock crystals were carved and painted on the back to create reverse intaglios, often of dogs, horses and birds, which appear three-dimensional through the crystal. See a reverse intaglio terrier brooch at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Rolled gold: Rolled gold is made by bonding a sheet of gold to a base metal with heat and pressure, then rolling it thin. It was widely used for Victorian chains and lockets as an affordable alternative to solid gold. Example: Antique Victorian Rolled Gold Long Guard Chain.
Rose gold: Rose gold gets its pink color from a higher proportion of copper in the alloy. It became fashionable in the 19th century, and is particularly common in British 9K Victorian and Edwardian jewelry. Example: Victorian 9K Rose Gold Engraved Heart Locket.
Scottish agate: After Queen Victoria fell in love with the Scottish Highlands and acquired Balmoral, Scottish jewelry became fashionable. Banded agates and other local stones were cut and set into engraved silver, a style often called pebble jewelry. Example: Victorian Banded Agate Cross Pendant.
Seed pearls: Seed pearls are tiny natural pearls, usually under 2mm. In the Georgian and Victorian eras they were drilled and stitched with horsehair onto mother of pearl frames, and they were set in delicate rows and clusters in Victorian and Edwardian gold jewelry. Example: Antique Victorian 1872 Garnet and Seed Pearl Ring.
Shell: Shell has been used for jewelry for thousands of years. Most antique cameos are carved from conch or helmet shell, whose layers of color allow a pale relief against a darker ground, and shell beads were often dyed in soft colors. Example: Vintage Art Deco Conch Shell Cameo Ring.
Silver gilt: Silver gilt is silver coated with a thin layer of gold, giving the look of gold with the body of silver. It was used for boxes, trinket pots, brooches and chains. Example: 1919 Sterling Silver Gilt Lidded Trinket Pot.
Stuart crystal: Stuart crystal jewelry, made in England in the late 17th century, has faceted rock crystal set over a design worked in gold wire, hair or silk, often initials or a skull. Many pieces commemorated King Charles I after his execution in 1649, and they are among the earliest English mourning jewelry. See an example from about 1690 at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Tassie: Tassies are glass paste casts of engraved gems and cameos, made in London from the 1760s by the Scottish modeler James Tassie and later his nephew William. Their catalogue eventually ran to some 20,000 designs, making classical gems available far beyond the collectors who could afford the originals. See a ring set with a Tassie cameo at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Tortoiseshell: Tortoiseshell comes from the shell of the hawksbill sea turtle. It was molded and carved into combs, bangles and brooches, and inlaid with gold and silver as piqué. International trade in hawksbill shell is now banned, and its sale is heavily restricted in the US. Example: Antique Victorian Piqué Tortoiseshell Cross Necklace.
Vermeil: Vermeil is sterling silver plated with a thick layer of gold, which makes it far more durable than ordinary gold plating. In the US, the term is legally defined: the gold must be at least 10K and at least 2.5 microns thick. In the UK there is no legal definition, but jewelers follow the same standard of at least 10K gold and 2.5 microns over sterling silver, and many quality pieces are plated more thickly.
Vulcanite: Vulcanite is natural rubber hardened with sulfur, a process developed in the 1840s by Charles Goodyear in the US and Thomas Hancock in England. It was molded into inexpensive black mourning jewelry. Over time it can fade to brown and may smell faintly of sulfur when rubbed. Example: Victorian Vulcanite Large Link Mourning Chain.
Many of these materials are delicate, so before cleaning anything, read our guide to cleaning antique jewelry safely. If you are unsure what a piece is made of, you can book a video consultation and I'll take a look.