Victorian and Edwardian jewellery

I have a passion for old jewellery, particularly pretty pieces.  Victorian jewellery is good, as is Edwardian but some of the earlier pieces are wonderful.  The delicate pendents and brooches, which trembled as the wearer moved were much admired in those times, and I believe still are today.

Victorians had a passion for love hearts of all kinds, but the diamond ones are fantastic.  I have always coveted one but so far never been able to find one that came within my reach - they can be worth several thousand pounds.  I once had a double heart ring on my finger, but it didn't stay long, because it wasn't mine.
What I truly covet is a pendent of diamonds, Victorian and set in gold, but I've only seen them in magazines or shop windows.

I do have a turquoise and pearl love heart, but I think it is probably more Edwardian than Victorian. 

I also like early stickpins and these come in so many varieities.  Of course they were more for the gentlemen to wear in their cravats. A few years back women started buying and weaing them, but I think they'd gone out of fashion recently.  The trend now is towards silver and white gold and all those delicate pendents are slightly old hat, but I still love them and collect them when I can.

Art Decco jewellery is very fashionable, as you have the squared designs, often set with enamels on silver or with diamonds and platinum.  I love some of the cocktail watches you can sometimes find at sales - and occasional car boot sales - and these days you can often buy them cheaply.  I suppose they don't fit with the modern idea, although I do think a lot of the pendents, rings and brooches from that time are very wearable, and I would snap them up if I saw them going cheap at a car boot or a sale.

I think it must have been nice to belong to the aristocracy when every young girl was given her first string of pearls.