Antique pique double hoop earrings

Antique pique double hoop earrings

Antique pique double hoop earrings made in the Victorian era. These antique earrings were made in the 1880’s and have the most fabulous and intricate detail to them.

What is pique jewellery?

A brief history on pique jewellery:

Pique jewellery is a style and type of jewellery all unto itself. It is one that cannot be reproduced today and is so unique and spectacular. Made most popular during the Victorian era, it can be found as far back as the 18^th Century and was popular throughout most parts of Europe but mostly in Italy and England.

Pique (pronounced pee-kay) is gold or silver, or sometimes a combination of both, inlayed into another material. Quite often the material was tortoiseshell (from the Hawksbill tortoise which was also used for the making of other tortoiseshell material such as boxes etc) and sometimes even from elephant ivory.

The tortoiseshell seemed to be the most popular. this was probably because of its light weight and being easy to mould into other shapes. Tortoiseshell is a natural thermoplastic , meaning that it is quite malleable when heated/warmed. Very fine gold or silver would be fashioned into either fine rod or leaf designs. These were then pressed into the already warmed tortoiseshell. After the gold and silver was set, the shell was left to cool down which would then contract to hold the metal in place.

Prior to 1870, the metals were cut by hand allowing for very fine and intricate detail then after 1870, machines started to do the work resulting in more straight and angular designs. The attention to detail no matter the age is always something that never ceases to amaze people. More so when you consider that these pieces were often made well over 140 years ago and still look superb today.

Pique jewellery can most commonly be found in earrings and pendants, and the designs and colouring are amazing to admire.

This form of jewellery making is now a lost art as both the elephant and Hawksbill turtle are protected species. This of course means that pique jewellery will become harder and harder to find as the years go by.

When was the Victorian era?

The Victorian era was from 1837 until 1901. Until Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria was the longest ruling monarch in British history. Queen Victoria was influential in not just politics, but also fashion. After Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into a perpetual state of mourning. During this time until her death, she wore only black, and popularised mourning jewellery.

Where is the best place to buy antique jewellery in Australia? Antique engagement rings Sydney.

At Kalmar Antiques in Sydney’s historic Queen Victoria Building. For over thirty five years, Kalmar Antiques has been dealing in fine antique jewellery from the Georgian era right through to modern. Not only do we have a large range of antique engagement rings, but we can also repair your damaged or broken antique jewellery. Employing jewellers who can repair antiques with no evidence of having work done, our restoration of antique jewellery doesn’t stop there. We also have two in-house watchmakers on site. We are an authorised OMEGA watch service centre.

Click here to see more antique earrings that is currently in store:

https://www.kalmarantiques.com.au/antique/antique-earrings-antique/

Click here to see more antique pique jewellery that is currently in store:

https://www.kalmarantiques.com.au/antique/pique-jewellery-antique/

Here is a link to the beautiful Queen Victoria Building where we are:

https://www.qvb.com.au/