Victorian Sentimental Jewellery

The Victorian era was marked by a fascination with jewellery that carried deep sentimental meaning, with pieces often created to signify love, loyalty, family bonds, and even mourning. Under Queen Victoria's reign, there was a resurgence in using jewellery to convey personal stories, emotions, and connections, particularly through a "language of gems." Each gemstone, colour, and design element could carry layered meanings, and this was a trend that flourished among the Victorian elite.

One especially intricate example of such Victorian jewellery is the locket necklace commissioned by Cecil Foljambe, the 1st Earl of Liverpool, for his family. This piece is more than just an accessory - it serves as a family narrative and a work of art that merges heraldic symbols, acrostic gemstones, and elements of mourning.

The Foljambe Family

Cecil Foljambe’s family history is reflected in this necklace. His first marriage to Louisa Howard brought two sons, but their joy was tempered by tragedy when their second son died in infancy, followed by Louisa’s death only a month later. Years later, Foljambe married Susan Cavendish, Louisa’s cousin, and together they had eleven children. This necklace thus represents the first ten children from Cecil’s second marriage, each child memorialised in a locket, although the youngest child’s locket is missing from this collection.

Layers of Symbolism - Heraldic Charges and Gender Symbols

The necklace appears at first to be a classic Victorian locket piece, with each locket containing a lock of hair and engraved initials and birth dates for each child. Yet upon closer examination, the piece reveals a much richer tapestry of symbols.

On this necklace, each daughter is represented by a gem-set heart, while other heraldic charges signify sons. Each child’s locket also includes a charge that represents their place in the birth order, a practice commonly seen in British heraldry but rarely in jewellery design.

The symbols are as follows:

• Second-born child: A crescent
• Third-born child: A star or “mullet"
• Fourth-born child: A martlet, a small bird
• Fifth-born child: A circlet
• Sixth-born child: A fleur-de-lis

Although we are missing the final locket, we know that this would have had a rose to represent the seventh son. It is unusual to see these charges applied to both sons and daughters, but it is a very effective design choice.

Acrostic Gemstones

The Victorian period popularised "acrostic" jewellery, where gemstones were arranged to spell out words or initials based on their first letters. This necklace uses acrostic elements to further personalise each locket with a gemstone corresponding to each child’s initial. For example:

• Gerald is represented by garnets.
• Edith has an emerald.
• Alice by an amethyst.
• Mabel and Margaret each have a moonstone.
• Josceline is marked by a jagoon (an old term for zircon).
• Constance has a carbuncle, another form of garnet.
• Robert is represented by rubies.
• Bertram with a beryl.
• Rosamond Sylvia Diana Mary, has a blend of ruby, sapphire, and diamond placed above a moonstone, a unique tribute to her full initials.

Each gemstone’s selection is a thoughtful choice, reflecting both the Victorian fascination with symbolism and the family’s affection for each child. We cannot say which gemstone may have adorned the final locket, as finding one to represent "V" for Victor is quite challenging.

Mourning Jewellery

One of the most poignant elements of the necklace is the locket for Margaret, who tragically died just one day after birth. The moonstone heart on her locket is surrounded by black enamel to signify mourning, a practice common in Victorian jewellery to honour deceased loved ones. This sombre addition reflects the era’s fixation with remembrance. In many ways, mourning jewellery like this locket allowed families to carry memories of their lost loved ones with them, both literally and symbolically.

An Artefact of Victorian Sentiment

Dating from 1878 to 1893, this locket necklace is a quintessential example of the Victorian ethos, rich with symbolic language and intricate craftsmanship. Each locket serves as a reminder of the complex, layered sentiments that defined the era, whether through representations of love, birth order, mourning, or personal identity. This unique necklace exemplifies Victorian jewellery’s ability to combine aesthetic beauty with deeply personal stories, creating heirlooms that go far beyond the merely ornamental.

This necklace stands as both a personal artefact and a cultural emblem of Victorian sentimentalism, capturing the heart of an era in a piece of extraordinary jewellery.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 21 November, 10.30am GMT
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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VIEWING:

• Viewing in London: 16-17 Pall Mall, SW1Y 5LU
  • Tuesday 12 November: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 13 November: 10am-4pm
• Viewing in Newbury: Donnington Priory, RG14 2JE
  • Sunday 17 November: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 18 November: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 19 November: 10am-4pm
• Dreweatts Remote Viewing Service | Available from Sunday 17 November

CREDITS

All imagery included in this film is subject to © Dreweatts 1759 and those © clearances as indicated on screen and/or below. Otherwise, images included are understood in good faith to be in the Public Domain.

IMAGE | Queen Victoria | by Alexander Bassano | Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
IMAGE | 1st Earl of Liverpool, The Lord Hawkesbury 1895 | by Alexander Bassano | Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
IMAGE | Susan Cavendish, Countess of Liverpool 1905 | Internet Archive Book Images | © No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
IMAGE | Cadency Marks | G T Clark, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
MUSIC | Ave Maria, Cello Version | Created by Ada Ragimov | Artist Io