Edwardian Floral Pendant
An edwardian floral pendant brings together delicate goldwork and natural gems in lasting botanical designs.
Edwardian Floral Pendant
An edwardian floral pendant is a delicate piece of jewellery shaped around botanical motifs like wreaths, flowers, and leaves. You will frequently find these pieces rendered in gold alongside natural gems.
The selections on this page span the Edwardian era alongside late Victorian and later periods, capturing distinct floral arrangements in pendants, necklaces, and lockets. These items often incorporate seed pearls and coloured stones to render petals and stems.
Makers from the period utilised yellow gold, rose gold, and silver to support intricate settings. Many examples combine pendant and brooch fittings, reflecting the versatile jewellery habits of the early twentieth century.
How they were made
Goldsmiths worked with 9ct gold, 15ct gold, and silver to construct lightweight mounts capable of holding small gemstones without bulk. Seed pearls were meticulously drilled and threaded or pegged onto gold wires to form floral clusters and leaves.
Enamel work frequently added colour to metal flower and leaf motifs, particularly within Art Nouveau designs. Stones such as peridot, aquamarine, turquoise, and diamonds were secured using claw settings and flush mountings tailored to floral geometries.
What varies in quality
The distinction between tiers rests upon the choice of materials and the fineness of the metalwork. Pieces featuring higher carat gold and genuine gemstones like diamonds and sapphires sit alongside simpler silver and seed pearl iterations.
Hand-finished engraving and precise stone matching elevate individual pendants. The structural integrity of delicate seed pearl settings and the preservation of enamel determine the overall standing of each surviving piece.
S. Blanckensee & Son·Charles Horner
The Edwardian Floral Pendant Glossary
- Seed Pearl
- Tiny, naturally occurring pearls often used in clusters to depict floral petals and delicate stems in Edwardian jewellery.
- Enamel
- A glassy substance fused to metal through firing to add coloured detail to leaves, petals, and background shields.
- Lavalier
- A pendant featuring a primary drop stone or ornament suspended from a smaller secondary link on a chain.
- Plafonnier
- A bowl-shaped ceiling light shade suspended close to the fixture, occasionally seen in decorative glass forms alongside jewellery items.
- Pietra Dura
- An artistic technique using inlaid cut and fitted polished coloured stones to create pictorial motifs such as flowers.
Edwardian Floral Pendant: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an edwardian floral pendant?
An edwardian floral pendant is a small decorative ornament worn on a chain, designed around plant motifs using gold and gemstones.
These pieces typically date from the early twentieth century and showcase wreaths, blossoms, and foliage.
How were edwardian floral pendants worn?
They were suspended from fine gold or silver chains around the neck as standard pendants.
Many examples were also constructed with pin fittings on the reverse, allowing them to function as brooches as well.
What stones are found in these pendants?
Common stones include seed pearls, peridots, aquamarines, sapphires, turquoises, and diamonds.
Enamel is also frequently utilised to provide vibrant colour to petals and leaves.
How do I distinguish Edwardian from Victorian pieces?
Edwardian items tend to feature lighter, more delicate openwork mounts in platinum or higher carat gold.
Victorian pieces often display heavier proportions and darker stone choices, though stylistic overlaps occur.