Arts Crafts Jewellery
These arts crafts jewellery pieces are hand-wrought silver and gemstone personal ornaments from the early twentieth century, sought after for their distinct design.
Understanding arts crafts jewellery
When you search for arts crafts jewellery, you find personal ornaments rooted in the design movement of the early twentieth century. The selection on this page centres on brooches, pendants, and necklaces spanning the decades from nineteen hundred through to nineteen thirty.
Silver forms the primary metal structure across the pieces, frequently combined with gold elements. Gemstones such as moonstone, sapphire, garnet, pearl, and turquoise glass appear frequently within these wearable works.
The aesthetic embraces the distinctive Arts and Crafts style, prioritising hand-wrought character over mass-produced uniformity. Surviving items demonstrate the output of notable makers alongside attribution examples from the period.
Materials and construction
Makers utilised silver and gold to construct the foundational settings for pendants, brooches, and necklaces. Precious and semi-precious stones including moonstone, sapphire, garnet, and pearl were then integrated directly into the metalwork.
Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical UK retail prices for arts crafts jewellery, calculated from the Sellingantiques database of over a million retail prices indexed since 2003. This retail price guide relies exclusively on Sellingantiques data; no external sources or auction records are used, so the figures do not describe the wider market.
The site listings feature items from nineteen hundred to nineteen thirty, using silver, gold, moonstone, sapphire, garnet, and pearl.
Assessing quality
Quality in these pieces rests upon the precision of the metalwork and the integration of the stones. Finer examples display deliberate placement of elements like moonstones, garnets, and pearls within the silver and gold framework.
The presence of documented workshop attribution or a recognised maker elevates a piece significantly. Superior items reveal careful attention to decorative techniques such as plique à jour and enamel work.
Rhoda Wager·Bernard Instone·John Paul Cooper·Dorrie Nossiter·Liberty and Co
The Arts Crafts Jewellery Glossary
- Plique à jour
- A vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied without a backing, resembling miniature stained glass. It allows light to pass through the translucent colour.
- Moonstone
- A feldspar mineral prized for its adularescence, showing a milky, billowy light effect. It is frequently set into silver mounts.
- Cabochon
- A gemstone polished to a convex, rounded top rather than faceted. This cut suits stones like moonstones and garnets found in period work.
- Attribution
- The assignment of a work to a particular maker based on stylistic evidence and known characteristics. This occurs when physical marks are absent or supplementary.
- Hand-wrought
- Formed and finished by hand rather than stamped by industrial machinery. This approach defines the manufacturing ethos of the movement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these pieces date from?
The available selection spans the early decades of the twentieth century, with items dated from nineteen hundred through to nineteen thirty.
Most pieces originate from the height of the movement, reflecting design traits typical of those decades.
Which materials appear most often?
Silver serves as the primary metal, frequently accompanied by gold accents and various gemstones.
Commonly seen stones include moonstone, sapphire, garnet, and pearl, alongside decorative elements like enamel and turquoise glass.
How do I identify a maker?
Makers are identified through stamped hallmarks, signature styles, or documented attribution to specific workshops and designers.
Examining the metalwork and stone setting often provides clues regarding the origin of the piece.
What forms do these items take?
Wearable personal ornaments form the core of the selection, specifically brooches, pendants, and necklaces.
These items are designed to be worn, showcasing decorative metal and stone combinations.