Tiara thumbnail 1

Tiara

ca. 1835 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This tiara has been made by pressing the gold into the required shape using a steel die stamping machine.

By the 1850s the jewellery trade had been transformed by consumer demand and technological innovation. Traditional techniques such as casting, chasing and engraving continued in high fashion pieces, but newer industrial methods created cheaper products for a mass market.

Flatted gold, rolled through machinery to a very thin sheet, could be stamped to make multiple standard components. Through the use of stamped collets, even the setting of gemstones required less handwork.

The expansion of the jewellery trade in Britain also benefited from the legalisation of three lower standards of gold alloys in 1854.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Gold and chrysoprase
Brief description
Tiara, stamped gold, set with chrysoprase, England, about 1835
Physical description
Tiara , gold, set with chrysoprase.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8.2cm
  • Width: 13.9cm
  • Depth: 4.5cm
Credit line
Given by Dame Joan Evans
Summary
This tiara has been made by pressing the gold into the required shape using a steel die stamping machine.

By the 1850s the jewellery trade had been transformed by consumer demand and technological innovation. Traditional techniques such as casting, chasing and engraving continued in high fashion pieces, but newer industrial methods created cheaper products for a mass market.

Flatted gold, rolled through machinery to a very thin sheet, could be stamped to make multiple standard components. Through the use of stamped collets, even the setting of gemstones required less handwork.

The expansion of the jewellery trade in Britain also benefited from the legalisation of three lower standards of gold alloys in 1854.
Bibliographic reference
Shirley Bury, Jewellery 1789-1910, The International Era, Vol. 1. p.294, colour plate 72
Collection
Accession number
M.146-1975

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Record createdAugust 11, 2005
Record URL
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