Bridgerton: Thoughts From an Antique Jewellery Enthusiast

Though brilliant, Bridgerton is clearly not entirely based in history, the fashion takes after the year 1813 of the Regency fashion era (1790-1820), which took place at the end of the Georgian era (1714-1830), named after the consecutive kings of the name. I welcome many of the creative liberties taken- from the colour palette, seemingly never-ending wardrobe of the young debutantes, the diversity- the majority of the changes have added to the fantastical and luxurious feel of the universe. There is one glaring category that the show falls flat in for me- the jewellery. While clearly much thought and symbolism was put into each character’s look, there has been quite a jarring divergence from the fashions history.

Let’s take a comprehensive look at the jewellery of Bridgerton and how it holds up to Regency era jewellery.

To start with what they got right: I was very surprised and optimistic when I saw Marina Thompson’s first scene.

Netflix.

Upon her arrival to London, Marina has a simple look complete with a necklace with an eye- a lovers’ eye portrait. These were one of the defining, albeit obscure fads of the Regency era. From around the 1790s-1810s, these hand-painted portraits were popular amongst lovers as gifts and signs of devotion to be worn. Art historian Hanneke Grootenboer has said that 18th-19th British lovers were “desperate to give each other not just images of themselves, but part of themselves” and were fixated with the idea of seeing and being seen. The notion of casting or being caught in a loving gaze was quite a romantic notion.

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On a gaudier note, tiaras are one of the more popular jewellery items in the show, and I am here for it. At every major event, we see all the young ladies and many of their mamas wearing small tiaras in their hair, which were somewhat widespread at the time. However, a popular way of wearing these tiaras was closer to the back of the head, as many of the tiaras were decorative jewels set into combs. The forward placement of tiaras is not unheard of, but generally seen in more formal settings while combs situated closer to the bun of a hairdo were more for casual, sometimes even used in everyday wear.

And while we’re talking about what they got right, Violet Bridgerton can almost do no wrong and has some of my favourite pieces.

Netflix.

We see her, as well as other characters, wear “parures”, or jewellery sets. One of her iconic looks is a necklace with amethysts that is known as a festoon necklace, matching earrings and a matching crown. Festoons usually have some type of loop to have a swagged, hanging look to give a natural, draped look that took hold with the revival of the Classical Greek and Romans. 

The light-coloured amethysts featured in the necklace are quite accurate as well, as lighter colours of amethyst were more in fashion, especially the really light “rose de France” colour, and set in the “Colette setting”, typical of the Georgian era.

However, one really exciting thing about parures is that the Georgians were very thoughtful in their construction of jewellery and how to make them useful- nearly everything was convertible. Earrings were “day to night”, in which dangles could be attached to studs, brooches could be pendants, a pair of bracelets could be a necklace, and really anything that could be multi-use was made to be.

(From @OkeySecretRoom A Georgian Foiled-back Aquamarine Festoon, Regency Era) 

Now, to what they got wrong. Firstly, I cannot stress this enough; Georgian jewellery was colourful. Popular stones included sapphires, rubies, pearls, emeralds, lapis, agate, amethyst, garnets, topaz, and really any stone of any colour you can think of. In this vein, there is not one inch of coral in the show. This merits specific mention because coral was an immensely popular material used in jewellery in the regency era.

Lady Maria Hamilton, 1802, by Thomas Lawrence.

This era was so colourful that not all the colours were strictly natural. In modern-day, we use different treatments to get our stones to have vibrant colours that were simply not available to people in the Regency era, but that did not stop fashion finding a way. The practice of “foiling” stones, placing coloured metallic sheets behind stones, was common and required a closed backing.

They coloured paste stones with foils of bright blue, pink, purple, yellow, and so on. In addition, crosses were such a critical piece of jewellery at this time- one of the most famous regency era pieces is Jane Austen’s topaz cross, and it was a must-have accessory and an iconic look day and night.

(Antique Georgian/ Regency era Silver and Pink Paste Riviere Choker @glitterandgoldfinds)

​The biggest “faux pas” is something a bit more complicated, but obvious to those familiar with antique jewellery. Different techniques of construction make the jewellery look fake at times, even in modern-day. One of the glaringly obvious liberties taken is that many of Daphne’s jewellery is thin and delicate, meant to symbolize her simple tastes, but simplicity would have manifested differently in the Georgian era. While this is a trendy style in modern-day, the Georgian era was defined by unparalleled detail and was often quite ornate and large. This was also a time where most items were handmade, and there were no tools for making smaller, thinner pieces of jewellery like chains, (I am also fairly sure that the necklace Daphne wears has a modern maker’s

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They did nail it with her wedding ring, showing minimalism by diverting from the book’s more elaborate engagement ring for a simpler look.

With the excess of diamonds, it is important to point out that diamonds were never used in the daytime and were strictly for formal settings. Jewellery for day-wear were lovely colourful and simpler pieces, and night-wear was showtime for the upper class. Diamonds were made to be seen in candlelight and were cut and foiled to reflect light in even the dimmest of settings, like rose cut and old mine cut. This style is largely ignored in the show and is jarring since jewels were hand-cut, as we did not have the tools to make the complex, minute cuts of modern-day with a million facets for that shine.

In relation to things not looking real, let’s talk about some necklaces, first the one from Prince Frederick. I am not even going to get into how reckless, unrealistic, or distracting it was that Daphne left a necklace gifted from a prince outside on a terrace. The necklace that is meant to be a centrepiece to a metaphor and illustrate grandeur and gaudiness, and it looks fake as hell. Additionally, many of the necklaces from characters like the Featheringtons, there is nothing to critique because it simply is not anywhere in the ballpark of the era.

Netlix.

While there was jewellery that we consider “fake” that was used in the Regency’s high society, like paste stones made of leaded glass, they were considered quite legitimate because of the care taken to hand-make these pieces, and seen as commonsensical fiscally and security-wise. Nevertheless, they were made to look real, and royalty seldom had anything but the highest quality pieces.

Also, it was deeply disappointing that the men did not wear jewellery. Yes, believe it or not, men were VERY blingy. Though undoubtedly jewellery held importance in both fashions for women and in wealth and agency, men largely participated in wearing jewellery. From signet rings to extra af watch chains, quizzing lenses, lovers’ tokens, and so on, men had a plethora of things to choose from. Additionally, as with all jewellery, many of these were status symbols- the more precious and elaborate and grand your jewellery was, the richer and higher class you were deemed to be.

​Regardless of the jewellery, Bridgerton is undoubtedly a popular show that is going to get a second season we will all anxiously wait for. There are some things I would like to see more of, if they are able to invest more time and money into that would add complexity to the characters in a time where jewellery was so important and symbolic. I think there should be mourning jewellery in this show that centres on love. Mourning fashion was such an integral part of not only remembering your loved one but displaying the depths of your devotion and feeling once they passed. Though it was more of an integral part of the social protocol in the Victorian era, Georgians still put quite a bit of effort and thought into their mourning jewellery. One common practice was mourning lockets or rings engraved with the name of the deceased with a lock of hair inside, or even further, a piece of the jewellery being made of woven strands of their hair. I think it would have served as an excellent visual representation of the many women’s emotions who have lost loved ones and/or spouses and added some dimensionality to the nature of their relationships.

I would also like to see some complex, figural pieces. Georgians were obsessed with details, and as such, there are entire artists and necklaces with anything from micromosaics, to cameos, to actual scarabs! Figural chains and cameos grew in popularity with the Classical revival and being educated and associated with Ancient culture and knowledge was a sign of higher learning. With Colin going to Greece, I hope he brings with him some of the pieces that would have been popular on the Grand Tour men embarked on at this time.

And lastly, I would like to see more pieces that are, or are based on, true pieces. There is a plethora of examples, as well as professionals dedicated to the study, curation, and distribution of antique jewellery. Consulting these professionals who intimately know the styles that may best fit a scene or character, especially from a time of such diverse and grand jewellery, would add dimensionality and symbolism in a way that is timeline accurate. There are many remaining pieces that have lasted into modern-day that can be studied, replicated, or even used, as other series have done.