Edwardian Seed Pearl Earrings
Vintage 1910s Edwardian Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Natural Pearl, White Gold, Platinum
Early 20th Century Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Pearl, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Pearl, Star Sapphire, 10k Gold, Gold
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Drop Earrings
Garnet, Pearl, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Drop Earrings
Garnet, Pearl, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold
Vintage 1910s Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Garnet, Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold, Platinum, Enamel
Early 20th Century European Edwardian Drop Earrings
Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Amethyst, Pearl, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Citrine, Pearl, Gold, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1910s European Edwardian Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Natural Pearl, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Cocktail Rings
Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Edwardian Pendant Necklaces
Natural Pearl, Tsavorite, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
People Also Browsed
Antique 1880s Link Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Antique Early 19th Century British George III Drop Earrings
Aquamarine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1890s Unknown Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Rose Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Italian Victorian Brooches
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Bangles
White Diamond, Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Taiwanese Art Deco Engagement Rings
Emerald, Pink Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Drop Earrings
Opal, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Early 20th Century Victorian Chain Bracelets
Gold, 14k Gold, Enamel
Antique Early 19th Century British Georgian Chandelier Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Gold, Sterling Silver, 18k Gold
1990s Swiss Wrist Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique 1890s Italian Late Victorian Dangle Earrings
Coral, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1910s American Edwardian Link Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Brooches
Pearl, Gold, 15k Gold
Mid-20th Century German Modern Clip-on Earrings
Recent Sales
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Edwardian Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Pearl, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Stud Earrings
Pearl, Sapphire, 9k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Drop Necklaces
Pearl, 15k Gold
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Pearl, Gold
Vintage 1910s English Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Peridot, Gold
Early 20th Century Edwardian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Yellow Gold
2010s British Edwardian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Natural Pearl, White Gold
Early 20th Century Victorian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century French Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Edwardian Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Aquamarine, Platinum, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Pearl, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1910s British Edwardian Drop Earrings
Natural Pearl, Peridot, Yellow Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Turquoise, Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Amethyst, Pearl, 9k Gold, Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Dangle Earrings
Garnet, Pearl, Rhodolite, Gold, 9k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Dangle Earrings
Pearl, Turquoise, Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Link Bracelets
Pearl, Enamel, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Drop Necklaces
Pearl, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Antique Mid-19th Century Victorian Dangle Earrings
Gold, Enamel
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Peridot, 9k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Edwardian Drop Earrings
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s English Edwardian Drop Earrings
Tourmaline, 9k Gold
20th Century Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Platinum
20th Century Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Edwardian Stud Earrings
Diamond, Gold, 15k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Edwardian Seed Pearl Earrings For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Edwardian Seed Pearl Earrings?
A Close Look at Edwardian Jewelry
Antique Edwardian jewelry is named for King Edward VII of Great Britain, who ruled from 1901 until 1910. Classic Edwardian necklaces, engagement rings, earrings and other jewelry are often overshadowed by the more popular style of the era, Art Nouveau, which is a shame. At its best, Edwardian jewelry was all about the exquisite diamond, platinum and pearl creations made by such famous names as Cartier and Boucheron.
Edward introduced incredibly formal Buckingham Palace court presentations, balls and soirées, resulting in a huge demand for diamond jewels starting with his coronation in 1902. Dozens of tiaras and formal jewels in an updated 18th-century style were purchased from French jewelers Boucheron and Chaumet and from Russia’s Fabergé. The court jewelers Asprey, Garrard, Carrington and the newly opened London branch of Cartier were all overwhelmed with orders for sumptuous diamond jewelry to be worn at the king’s elaborate coronation.
During the Edwardian era, pearls were more valuable than diamonds. The pear-shaped pearl La Peregrina, for example, belonged to some of the most fabulous and strongest women in history and bounced among royal courts in Spain, France and Russia for several centuries. So while today the scale and clarity of a diamond ring matters, back then the size and quantity of your pearls was more important a declaration of wealth. And just as Victorian notions of propriety and femininity began to change after Queen Victoria died in 1901, jewelry design also evolved but there was some overlap with late Victorian styles.
Women of the Edwardian period sported bejeweled headpieces like tiaras and bandeaus with feathered aigrettes. Another popular piece of jewelry that is said to have been directly inspired by Queen Alexandra were colliers de chien, or dog collars — today's choker necklaces — which consisted of either a ribbon decorated with a brooch, a gemstone or several strands of pearls strung closely together.
Two major jewelry houses, Cartier and Boucheron, were founded in the mid-1850s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, the wealthy considered them household names. The Cartier brand became even more desirable once the house became the official jewelry supplier to King Edward VII. Cartier took this title seriously and designed some of the most innovative jewelry of its day, since it was willing to experiment with new materials like platinum and because it was mindful of fashion trends. Filigree settings also became popular. This saw-piercing technique was decorative and at the same time created a sense of lightness.
Perhaps even more important than Cartier’s use of platinum was the founding of De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited in 1888. The discovery of new diamond mines made the stone more affordable and prompted the introduction of new gemstone cuts. It is not uncommon to see Edwardian jewels with baguette or briolette diamonds.
Find antique Edwardian rings, bracelets, watches and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Earrings for You
In the United States, ear piercing didn’t really become popular until the 1950s and ‘60s, but our desire for a dazzling pair of vintage earrings has deeper roots than that. In fact, wearing earrings actually goes back thousands of years, and you can find many tangible connections between now and then in how we continue to talk about these treasured accessories.
Women wore ornamental earrings — studs and hoops at the very least — in Ancient Egypt, which is home to mines that are among the earliest sources of emeralds in the world. Emerald earrings are highly prized today, and their quality lies in their rich, saturated color. The highest-quality emeralds are green or bluish-green. Earrings worn by the affluent in early Roman civilizations were set with precious stones such as diamonds and pearls, and a clean-looking pop of pearl on the front of the lobe is as timeless as ever. Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C.
Today, ear piercing is very popular all over the world, and, as a result, it is difficult to overstate how much everyone pines for a good pair of earrings — modernist drop earrings, glamorous Victorian hoops, geometrically complex chandelier earrings, you name it. Sure, jewelry trends and the fashion darlings of social media come and go, but earrings have a staying power that seems impenetrable: The still-strong love affair between British royals and Cartier earrings is more than a century old, glossy 1970s hoops from legacy houses such as Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels remain the statement makers they’ve always been and although people have been stacking earrings for many moons, the allure of an expertly mismatched stack of charms and studs still feels fresh and new.
While there is no shortage of modern earring designs to choose from, the classics, like coral earrings, Art Deco–style earrings and diamond drop earrings are still heavy hitters. On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique, new and vintage earrings today.