"We wore white crepe dresses trimmed with satin ribbon & the bodices & sleeves spotted with white beads. . . Thursday night, Pearl combs, necklaces, earrings, & brooches. . . Tuesday evening we had sprigged muslin. . . gold ornaments & flowers in our heads & Friday we wore yellow gauze dresses over satin, beads in our heads & pearl ornaments..."
Fanny Knight Austen
During the Regency, jewelry became much simpler than before. While family jewels were still prized and women still wore the necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and whatnot that they were accustomed to, semi-precious stones also came into favor. Many jewels were reset, especially as brooches and pins which were used to pin up sleeves, overdresses and trains. Cameos, carved from shells also came into favor, being prized by Empress Josephine of France. Next to cameos in popularity, came garnets, then diamonds, emeralds, topaz and coral, all now easily affordable to the burgeoning, new middle-class.
Cross necklaces became popular for everyday wear (recall Fanny Price's agony over finding a chain to fit her new pendant) as well as plain gold chains. These Topaz crosses were given to Jane and Cassandra by their younger brother Charles, in 1801.
Pearls, a perennial favorite, were used not only on the necklaces, earrings and bracelets (Dolly Madison wore an entire set, a gift from her husband, to his inaugural ball) but also as trim for garments and turbans.
Jewels were also used to accentuate the Greek inspired hair arrangements popular at the time. Bandeaus and other types of headbands could be liberally decorated with them, for evening wear.
One other type of jewelry to spring into favor during the Regency were locket watches, as one writer described, "[small watches] are worn by a few dashing belles, on their bosoms, not bigger than a round half guinea." Men's watch fobs could also be used with the redingote (coat) type dress or coat.
Find Regency inspired cameos, crosses, earrings and other jewelry and hair decorations in our Jewelry & Accessories Collection.
Laura Boyle is fascinated by all aspects of Jane Austen's life. She is the proprietor of Austentation: Regency Accessories, creating custom hats, bonnets, reticules and more for customers around the globe. Her work can be found in the Jane Austen Centre's Blog, Jane Austen's Regency World, and other Austen related works. Cooking with Jane Austen and Friends is her first book. Laura's greatest joy is the time she is able to spend at home with her family (1 amazing husband, 5 adorable children, 2 hamsters, a papaya loving rabbit and 1 very strange dog).