One of the questions I'm asked most often is "how old is it?" Dating antique jewelry is a little like detective work. No single clue tells the whole story, but together the hallmarks, the clasp, the metal, the stones and the way a piece was made usually point to a clear answer. I'm Tiffany, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) and a GIA-certified diamond grader, and these are the clues I look at first.
1. Hallmarks
British hallmarks are the most precise dating tool there is. A full set of marks shows the maker, the metal standard, the assay office and a date letter for the year the piece was tested. Between 1784 and 1890, many British pieces also carry a duty mark showing the sovereign's head, which proves tax was paid and immediately narrows the date.
Hallmarks inside a Victorian 22ct gold wedding band, assayed in Birmingham in 1900.
Gold standards help too. In 1854, Britain introduced 9, 12 and 15 karat gold alongside 18 and 22 karat. In 1932, 12 and 15 karat were replaced by 14 karat, so a piece marked 15 was almost certainly made between 1854 and 1932. Read our full guide to reading British hallmarks, and see the 15K entry in our materials glossary.
Remember that a lot of antique jewelry was never hallmarked at all. Small items and jewelry were exempt in Britain until the Hallmarking Act of 1973, so the absence of marks does not mean a piece is new.
2. Brooch pins, clasps and hinges
The back of a brooch often tells you more than the front.
Long pin stems: On many Georgian and early Victorian brooches, the pin extends beyond the edge of the brooch.
A Victorian cameo brooch with a long pin stem extending past its frame.
C-clasp: A simple C-shaped hook with no safety catch. It was used through the Victorian era and into the early 20th century.
A C-clasp on the back of a Victorian pressed horn brooch, around 1880.
Trombone clasp: A small tube that slides to lock the pin, found on European brooches from the late 19th century into the 1920s.
A trombone clasp on a 1930s paste butterfly brooch.
Safety catch: The rotating locking catch we still use today appeared around 1910 and became standard in the 1920s and 1930s.
A rotating safety catch on a 1930s sterling silver Scottie dog brooch.
Hinges: Earlier brooches usually have tube hinges. Ball hinges appear from around 1890 and riveted hinges from around 1900.
One word of caution: clasps are often replaced during repairs, so a modern safety catch on an otherwise Victorian brooch is not unusual. That is why the clasp should always be read alongside other clues.
3. Necklace clasps
Necklaces have their own clues. The bolt ring appeared in the 1840s and developed into the spring ring, a round sprung ring with a small lever, and the spring ring with an attached loop became common around 1900. In Britain, this sprung ring is still often called a bolt ring. Lobster clasps belong to the 20th century.
A Victorian silver collar fastened at the front with a bolt ring, from which the locket hangs.
A Victorian 9ct rose gold bolt ring with its attached loop.
4. Earring fittings
Hooks and wires: Most Georgian and Victorian earrings were made for pierced ears, with hook or kidney wire fittings.
Victorian 9ct gold drop earrings with hook wire fittings.
Screw-backs: The screw-back fitting was patented around 1894 and was popular in the early 20th century, especially with women who did not want to pierce their ears.
Screw-back fittings on a pair of Victorian garnet earrings in 8ct gold.
Clip-ons: The clip-on was patented in 1934 and was the dominant fitting for finer earrings from the mid-1930s into the 1960s. A clip on an earring that looks like it dates from 1900 was almost certainly added later.
Clip-on fittings on a pair of 1940s black glass earrings.
5. Metals
- High-karat yellow gold was usual for fine Georgian jewelry, while 9K and 15K became common in Britain after 1854.
- Rose gold became fashionable in the 19th century and is especially common in British 9K pieces.
- Silver-topped gold was used for diamond jewelry in the Georgian and Victorian eras, so the white metal set off the stones while gold sat against the skin.
- Platinum came into wide use around 1900 and is a hallmark of Edwardian and Art Deco jewelry. Platinum in a piece described as Georgian should raise questions. Example: Edwardian Platinum and Gold Navette Diamond Ring.
- White gold was developed in the 1910s and became popular in the 1920s.
Silver-topped gold: a Georgian double row diamond ring with the stones set in silver on an 18ct gold band.
6. Diamond cuts and settings
Diamond cutting changed steadily over two centuries, so the cut is one of the most reliable clues in a ring.
- Rose cuts and old mine cuts dominate Georgian and Victorian jewelry.
- Old European cuts became the standard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Transitional cuts appear in the early 20th century, leading to the modern round brilliant, whose proportions were set out by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919.
Rose cut diamonds on a Georgian brooch pendant in silver and 9K rose gold.
Old European and old mine cut diamonds in a Victorian 14K gold engagement ring.
Settings tell their own story. Georgian stones were usually set in closed back settings, often with foil behind them, while open settings became common during the 19th century. Fine milgrain edging is a signature of Edwardian work. Read more in our guides to antique diamond cuts and old mine cut vs old European cut diamonds.
Gemstones can date a piece too. Synthetic rubies were being produced commercially by the early 20th century, so a gemmologist's test can sometimes reveal that a stone is later than its setting.
7. Materials
Some materials simply did not exist before a certain date. Vulcanite was developed in the 1840s, celluloid was patented in 1870 and Bakelite was invented in 1907, so a Bakelite bangle cannot be Victorian. Our A to Z of antique jewelry materials gives the dates for each. Examples: Victorian Vulcanite Mourning Chain and 1930s Green Bakelite Bangle.
Vulcanite: a Victorian large link mourning chain.
Bakelite: a 1930s green bangle, a material that could never appear in Victorian jewelry.
8. Construction and wear
Early jewelry was made by hand, and you can often see it: slight irregularities, hand-cut settings and hand engraving. Machine stamping spread through the 19th century, making lighter, more uniform pieces more affordable. Genuine age also shows in wear: softened edges, thinning ring shanks and a gentle patina that is very hard to fake. Our guide to identifying authentic antique jewelry covers this in more detail.
A shank worn thin by more than a century of wear on a 1916 ruby and diamond ring in 18ct gold.
Putting the clues together
The most important rule is never to rely on one clue alone. Clasps get replaced, stones get reset and popular styles were revived again and again, so I look for the clues that agree with each other. A 15 karat hallmark, an old European cut diamond and a trombone clasp, for example, all point comfortably to around 1900. The style of the piece then helps confirm it, which is where our guide to antique jewelry eras comes in.
Every piece we sell is described with its date and the evidence behind it. If you have a question about a piece, you can book a video consultation and I'll talk you through it.