Victorians found endless inspiration in the natural world, and many of their favorite jewelry motifs carried carefully chosen meanings. Flowers and birds became a beautiful way to express emotions, beliefs, and personal connections.
Flowers: Meaning Behind Every Bloom
Victorians embraced floriography, the “language of flowers,” and assigned specific meanings to different blossoms.
Some popular examples include:
- Roses represented love and beauty.
- Forget-me-nots symbolized remembrance and enduring affection.
- Lily of the valley stood for purity and the return of happiness.
- Pansies were given as a token to let the wearer know they were always on the giver’s mind.
- Ivy represented fidelity and lasting friendship.
- Oak leaves symbolized strength and endurance.
A carefully chosen floral brooch or pendant could communicate emotions that polite society often left unspoken, making these pieces especially powerful tokens for the Victorians.
Birds: Hope, Freedom, and Devotion
Another deeply symbolic favorite motif of the Victorian Era was the bird, and different species carried different meanings.
Swallows mate for life and thus became a symbol of enduring love, loyalty, and the promise of a safe return home. They were sentimental tokens, especially for those who were separated by travel or military service.
Swans, like swallows, mate for life and were also used to symbolize deep romance, fidelity, and sublime beauty. The late Victorian Era experienced a major revival of mythological storytelling, and contemporary artists integrated the swan into popular depictions of folklore.
Doves symbolized peace, hope, and devotion. In jewelry, they were often paired with an olive branch or perhaps the word “pax,” which is Latin for “peace.”
Owls were saved by the Victorian obsession with ornithology. Once seen across various cultures as a bad omen, and in medieval Europe as companions of witches, these birds came to symbolize wisdom, mystery, and natural beauty. Their striking appearance also made for exquisite depictions in many artistic mediums.
These birds, and a handful of others, were some of the most elegant motifs from the era and appeared in all types of Victorian jewelry.
Continue to Part Three, where we explore celestial symbols, signs of protection, and the motifs that represented hope and new beginnings.