What Is Suffragette Jewellery?
Suffragette jewellery describes pieces set with purple, white, and green gemstones — typically amethyst, pearl, and peridot — worn in support of the women's suffrage movement in early twentieth-century Britain. Closely associated with the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the Edwardian era, these pieces carried political meaning alongside their aesthetic appeal. This guide traces the origins of suffragette jewellery, explains the colour symbolism, identifies the key designers and retailers, and addresses how to distinguish genuinely political pieces from fashionable Edwardian colour combinations.
What Is Suffragette Jewellery?
Suffragette jewellery refers to pieces incorporating purple, white, and green gemstones — most commonly amethyst, pearl, and peridot — created or worn between 1908 and 1914 to express support for women's right to vote. The colour combination served as the visual identity of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), Britain's militant suffrage organisation.
The WSPU, founded by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903, adopted the purple, white, and green colour scheme in 1908. Jewellery offered supporters a way to signal political allegiance while conforming to Edwardian expectations of feminine dress. Brooches, pendants, rings, and bar pins set with the three colours allowed women to wear their convictions openly. The term 'suffragette' was coined by the Daily Mail in 1906 as a diminutive; the WSPU adopted it defiantly, distinguishing its militant methods — window-breaking, arson, hunger strikes — from the peaceful constitutional campaigning of the suffragist movement.
What Do the Suffragette Colours Mean?
Purple represents dignity, white represents purity, and green represents hope. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, the WSPU's treasurer and co-editor of the Votes for Women newspaper, selected these colours and assigned their meanings in 1908. She wrote that purple 'stands for the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette, the instinct of freedom and dignity'.
| Colour | Meaning | Common Gemstones |
|---|---|---|
| Purple | Dignity | Amethyst |
| White | Purity | Pearl, diamond, moonstone |
| Green | Hope | Peridot, emerald, demantoid garnet |
The colours debuted publicly at the Women's Sunday rally in Hyde Park on 21 June 1908, where between 300,000 and 500,000 people gathered. Organisers sold over 10,000 scarves in the three colours within two days. Sylvia Pankhurst, who had trained at the Royal College of Art, served as the WSPU's artistic director and translated the colour scheme into a complete visual identity — banners, badges, bunting, and jewellery — in the weeks before the demonstration.
Does Green-White-Violet Spell 'Give Women Votes'?
No. The popular claim that green, white, and violet form the acrostic 'Give Women Votes' has no basis in primary sources. The WSPU officially described the colours as purple, white, and green — not violet — and the movement's rallying cry was 'Votes for Women', never 'Give Women Votes'. The colours were displayed openly, not encoded as a secret message.
Beverley Cook, curator of the Museum of London's suffragette collections, has stated there is 'nothing in the collection to support' the acrostic theory. Ivor Hughes, writing in Antique Collecting magazine in 2015, dismantled the claim systematically, noting that no WSPU banner, leaflet, postcard, or edition of Votes for Women uses the phrase 'Give Women Votes'. The theory appears to be a later romantic invention — appealing, but unsupported by any contemporary evidence. The Victorian tradition of acrostic jewellery, such as REGARD and DEAREST rings, may have inspired the retrospective attribution.
Which Gemstones Were Used in Suffragette Jewellery?
The standard combination is amethyst for purple, peridot for green, and pearl or seed pearl for white. These three stones appear in the majority of pieces described as suffragette jewellery, typically set in 15ct or 18ct gold in the delicate open-back settings characteristic of the Edwardian period.
Diamonds and moonstones sometimes substituted for pearl as the white element, while emeralds occasionally replaced peridot for green. Mappin & Webb's 1908 Christmas catalogue — the only confirmed instance of a mainstream jeweller marketing pieces explicitly as 'Suffragette Jewellery' — listed brooches and pendants set with emeralds, pearls, and amethysts, priced between two and six pounds at a time when a kitchen maid earned approximately eight pounds a year.
The overlap between suffragette symbolism and Edwardian fashion is significant. Peridot was a favoured stone of the period, and purple and green sit as complementary colours on the colour wheel. This independent popularity complicates attribution — the same stone combination could signal politics, fashion, or both. Explore our antique amethyst rings to see the gemstone most associated with the suffragette palette.
When Was Suffragette Jewellery at Its Height?
Suffragette jewellery belongs to a narrow six-year window between 1908, when the WSPU adopted its colour scheme, and August 1914, when the First World War began. Emmeline Pankhurst suspended militant action and redirected the WSPU towards the war effort, making the wearing or production of suffragette jewellery effectively obsolete.
The Representation of the People Act 1918 granted the vote to women over thirty who met property qualifications. The Equal Franchise Act 1928 extended it to all women over twenty-one. By then, the purple, white, and green colour scheme had long ceased to serve its original purpose.
This tight production window is critical for authentication. A ring hallmarked 1907, while Edwardian and possibly set with the same stones, predates the colour scheme's adoption. A piece from 1920, regardless of its colours, postdates the movement's active period. Only pieces datable to 1908–1914 fall within the window when these colours carried their strongest political charge. Browse our collection of Edwardian rings to see jewellery from this period.
What Forms Did Suffragette Jewellery Take?
Commercial suffragette jewellery appeared primarily as brooches, pendants, necklaces, rings, bar pins, and hatpins. Designs followed Edwardian conventions — scrolling metalwork, floral motifs, symmetrical arrangements, and delicate settings in gold. The style was elegant and refined rather than overtly political in appearance.
The WSPU also produced official items with explicit political symbolism. Sylvia Pankhurst designed enamel badges depicting a woman breaking free through iron gates, circular brooches featuring her 'Angel of Freedom' motif, and the Holloway brooch awarded to imprisoned members. Arrow-shaped hatpins evoked the prison broad arrow and served as both fashion accessories and political statements. The silversmith Ernestine Mills, trained at the Slade and skilled in enamelling under Alexander Fisher, created bespoke pieces for the movement — including the 'Angel of Hope' pendant of 1909, an enamel-on-silver shield with semi-precious stones commemorating the release of a WSPU member from prison. The Museum of London holds three pieces by Mills. Suffragette pieces represent one of the most politically charged examples of Edwardian symbolic jewellery — a broader tradition in which gemstones, motifs, and colours carried layered personal and social meanings.
Who Made and Sold Suffragette Jewellery?
Mappin & Webb is the only confirmed mainstream jeweller to have explicitly marketed pieces as 'Suffragette Jewellery'. Their 1908 Christmas catalogue featured a dedicated page with five gold brooches and pendants set with emeralds, pearls, and amethysts. Stanley Mappin, the firm's head, was a known WSPU supporter who participated in the suffragette boycott of the 1911 census.
The London jeweller Child & Child, known for Art Nouveau enamel work, also produced suffragette pieces; the V&A holds one of their suffragette brooches. Arthur and Georgie Gaskin, Birmingham-based Arts and Crafts jewellers, created a suffragette necklace in silver, enamel, and amethysts around 1910.
The WSPU ran its own retail operation from The Woman's Press shop at 156 Charing Cross Road, London, and operated nineteen high-street shops across the city staffed by volunteers. These sold badges, ribbons, branded merchandise, and officially commissioned jewellery alongside publications and propaganda material.
What Was the Holloway Brooch?
The Holloway brooch was a silver and enamel badge designed by Sylvia Pankhurst and manufactured by Toye & Co of London. Awarded to WSPU members upon their release from Holloway Prison, it depicted a portcullis — the symbol of the Houses of Parliament — with a central broad arrow in purple, white, and green enamel.
Described in the Votes for Women newspaper on 16 April 1909 as 'the Victoria Cross of the Union', the brooch was first presented at a mass WSPU rally at the Royal Albert Hall on 29 April 1909. Recipients included Emily Davison, who later died at the Epsom Derby in 1913, and Marion Wallace-Dunlop, the first suffragette hunger striker.
The broad arrow — the mark stamped on prison uniforms and government property — gave the design a defiant double meaning, transforming a symbol of punishment into one of honour. The brooches are scarce today; at auction, documented examples have sold for between £6,000 and £13,000.
Is All Purple, White and Green Edwardian Jewellery 'Suffragette'?
No, and this is the single most important distinction in the field. Elizabeth Goring, author of the foundational academic study on the subject, wrote that 'not all jewellery in purple, white and green was intended for the suffragettes, and not all suffragette jewellery was purple, white and green'. Colour alone is not proof of political intent.
Amethyst and peridot were popular throughout the Edwardian era independently of politics. Without provenance linking a piece to a known suffragette, a WSPU inscription, or a documented retail source such as the Mappin & Webb catalogue, attributing political intent with certainty is not possible.
That said, a ring hallmarked between 1908 and 1914 and set with amethyst, peridot, and pearl exists within the window when these colours held their strongest political charge. Whether the original owner chose it as a political statement, a fashionable accessory, or both at once is a question the piece itself cannot answer.
How Can You Identify a Genuine Suffragette Piece?
Start with the hallmarks. A genuine suffragette piece should carry marks dating it to between 1908 and 1914 — the period when the WSPU's colour scheme was active. Anything hallmarked before 1908 predates the colour scheme's adoption and cannot have been created with suffragette symbolism in mind.
Examine construction and gemstone cuts. Edwardian pieces typically feature open-back settings, fine claw or collet work, and stones cut in old European or cushion styles. Gold is most often 15ct or 18ct, consistent with British standards of the period. Check that all stones appear original — a stone noticeably brighter or more precisely cut than its neighbours may be a modern replacement inserted to create the purple-white-green combination.
The strongest evidence of genuine political intent comes from WSPU inscriptions, documented ownership by a named suffragette, or an identifiable maker such as Ernestine Mills or Child & Child. Pieces bearing the portcullis, broad arrow, or Angel of Freedom motif carry the clearest political association.
Why Is Suffragette Jewellery Collectable Today?
Suffragette jewellery sits at the intersection of decorative art and political history, making it a category where provenance and story can outweigh material value. Authenticated items with a documented WSPU connection command significant premiums over comparable Edwardian pieces, driven by institutional demand from museums and growing private interest in women's history.
Official WSPU items command the highest prices. Sylvia Pankhurst's hunger strike medals — hallmarked silver with personalised engravings and enamelled force-feeding bars — have sold at Bonhams for up to £41,600 (Maud Joachim's medal, October 2023). The National Gallery of Victoria acquired Selina Martin's medal for £27,000 in 2019, reflecting institutional appetite for these objects.
Commercial jewellery in the suffragette colours occupies a broader market, ranging from pieces with established provenance to those attributed on colour alone. The centenary of partial women's suffrage in 2018 brought renewed attention, and demand has remained steady since.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between suffragette and suffragist jewellery?
Suffragettes (WSPU) used purple, white, and green. Suffragists (NUWSS), who pursued peaceful constitutional methods under Millicent Fawcett, wore red, white, and green. Suffragette jewellery is far more widely collected, partly because the purple-white-green combination was more visually distinctive and partly because the WSPU invested heavily in branded merchandise and visual identity.
When were the suffragette colours officially adopted?
The WSPU adopted purple, white, and green in 1908, approximately one month before the Women's Sunday demonstration in Hyde Park on 21 June 1908. Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence selected the colours and published their meanings — purple for dignity, white for purity, green for hope — in the Votes for Women newspaper. Any piece hallmarked before 1908 predates the scheme.
Did suffragettes wear rings?
Rings were among the forms suffragette jewellery took, though brooches and pendants were more common. Edwardian suffragette-attributed rings typically feature a graduated arrangement of amethyst, peridot, and diamond or pearl in 15ct or 18ct gold, set in the scrolled gallery style characteristic of the period. Three-stone and five-stone arrangements are the most frequently encountered.
Are suffragette pieces valuable?
Value depends on type and provenance. Official WSPU items — Holloway brooches, hunger strike medals, enamel badges — can fetch £6,000 to £41,600 at auction. Commercial jewellery in the suffragette colours trades at a premium over comparable Edwardian pieces, but attribution based on colour alone remains debated among specialists, and provenance documentation significantly increases value.
How can you tell if gemstones in a suffragette piece have been replaced?
Look for inconsistency among the stones. A stone that is noticeably brighter, more precisely cut, or shows different wear patterns from its neighbours may be a modern replacement inserted to create the purple-white-green combination. Original Edwardian stones should show consistent cutting styles — old European or cushion cuts — and comparable surface wear across the piece.
Related Reading
- Edwardian Rings: Platinum, Lace & Light — the era that produced suffragette jewellery
- Regard Rings & Acrostic Jewellery — another tradition of encoding meaning through gemstone initials
- Victorian Rings: Romance, Mourning & Empire — the preceding era that shaped Edwardian design
- Explore our complete guide to antique rings by era — the Eras pillar page