Edwardian novelty jewellery sported an eclectic mix of symbolic motifs, each carrying specific meanings understood by contemporary society. These pins featured anchors symbolic of hope, arrows representing Cupid or Diana, the caduceus of Mercury, feathers, daggers, violins, harps, and lyres—creating a complex visual language that communicated personal beliefs, social affiliations, and intimate messages.
Despite the era's modern outlook and scientific advances, Edwardian society remained remarkably superstitious, with jewellery serving as both decorative ornament and protective talisman. Understanding these symbols and their meanings reveals how Edwardians used jewellery to navigate social relationships, express personal identity, and seek protection from unseen forces.
The Language of Symbols
Edwardian symbolic jewellery operated as a sophisticated communication system where initiated members of society could read messages in gems and gold. This visual vocabulary drew from multiple sources: classical mythology, Christian tradition, maritime heritage, botanical symbolism, and contemporary superstitions.
Classical and Mythological Symbols
The caduceus, symbolic of Mercury, appeared frequently in Edwardian jewellery, particularly pieces associated with communication, commerce, or travel. This winged staff entwined with serpents promised speed and eloquence. Arrows served double duty, representing Cupid when accompanied by hearts or flowers, or Diana the huntress when paired with crescents or hunting motifs.
Lyres, harps, and violins indicated artistic appreciation or accomplishment, often worn by musical performers or patrons of the arts. These instruments were rendered in extraordinary detail, with golden strings that could actually be plucked and tuning pegs that turned. Such pieces demonstrated both the wearer's cultural refinement and the jeweller's technical mastery.
Maritime and Navigation Symbols
Anchors dominated maritime symbolism, their meaning extending far beyond naval connections. As symbols of hope and steadfastness, anchors appeared in every form: simple sailor's anchors, fouled anchors with chains, anchors entwined with ropes or flowers, and crosses formed from anchor shapes. The anchor's Christian associations—hope as the "anchor of the soul"—made it acceptable for religious wear.
Ship's wheels suggested guidance and control over destiny. Compass roses indicated direction in life. Lighthouse motifs promised safe harbour. These maritime symbols particularly appealed to Britain's naval heritage and island identity.
Natural World Symbolism
The swallow, owl and dove emerged as the most popular bird motifs, each carrying distinct meanings. Swallows symbolised homecoming, faithful return, and the arrival of spring. Doves represented peace, the Holy Spirit, and pure love. These birds appeared in flight, at rest, carrying messages, or building nests—each variation adding nuanced meaning.
Botanical symbols conveyed complex messages through the language of flowers. Forget-me-nots begged remembrance, ivy promised fidelity, oak leaves indicated strength, and roses declared love in various shades of meaning depending on colour. These natural symbols allowed expression of sentiments too delicate for words.
Lucky Charms and Protective Symbols
Edwardian society's persistent superstitions manifested in numerous lucky symbols incorporated into jewellery. These pieces served as portable protection against misfortune, evil influences, and the general uncertainties of life.
Universal Lucky Symbols
Four-leaf clovers ranked among the most popular lucky symbols, their rarity in nature translating to preciousness in jewellery. Crafted in emerald and diamond, jade, or green enamel, these pieces promised general good fortune. Each leaf carried meaning: faith, hope, love, and luck.
Horseshoes appeared in every precious material, their orientation carefully considered—points up to catch luck, points down to shower fortune on others. Some horseshoes featured seven nail holes, combining two lucky elements. Miniature horseshoes were hidden in lockets or incorporated into other designs for secret protection.
Numbers and Their Power
Numerical symbolism played a significant role in Edwardian jewellery. The number seven appeared frequently: seven gems in a row, seven-pointed stars, seven-link chains. Conversely, thirteen was deliberately avoided or, perversely, embraced by those who defied superstition. Some pieces featured hidden numbers known only to the wearer, personal lucky numbers, or significant dates reduced to single digits.
Animal Protectors
Certain animals promised specific protections. Elephants with raised trunks brought prosperity and removed obstacles. Black cats in jet or onyx offered protection from evil. Scarab beetles, influenced by Egyptian revival styles, promised regeneration. Owls provided wisdom and watchfulness. Each creature was carefully chosen for its protective properties as much as its decorative appeal.
Religious and Spiritual Symbolism
Religious symbols in Edwardian jewellery balanced public declaration of faith with private devotion. These pieces ranged from obvious crosses to subtle incorporated symbols readable only by fellow believers.
Christian Symbols
Crosses appeared in countless variations: Latin crosses for Western Christianity, Greek crosses for balance and harmony, Celtic crosses combining Christianity with heritage, and anchor crosses merging faith with hope. Some crosses concealed secondary symbols: sacred hearts, crowns of thorns, or instruments of the Passion.
Angels served as guardians and messengers, depicted as full figures with spread wings, heads with wings (cherubim), or simply wings alone suggesting divine protection. These pieces often commemorated deceased children, the angels serving as both memorial and comfort.
Saints and Their Attributes
Saint Christopher medals protected travellers, increasingly important as Edwardians embraced automobile travel. St. George and the dragon appealed to English patriotism. St. Valentine naturally appeared in romantic jewellery. Each saint's specific attributes—Christopher's staff, George's lance, Valentine's birds—allowed identification without inscription.
Eastern and Esoteric Symbols
The Edwardian interest in Eastern philosophy and esoteric knowledge introduced new symbols: the Hand of Fatima for protection against the evil eye, Om symbols reflecting interest in Hindu philosophy, Yin-yang designs suggesting balance, and Egyptian ankhs promising eternal life. These symbols demonstrated worldly sophistication whilst providing spiritual protection.
Love, Romance, and Sentiment
Romantic symbolism pervaded Edwardian jewellery, with complex vocabularies allowing expression of every shade of sentiment from passionate love to gentle friendship.
Hearts in Every Form
Hearts appeared in infinite variety: single hearts for straightforward love declaration, double hearts for mutual affection, crowned hearts indicating love's sovereignty, pierced hearts suggesting love's sweet pain, and winged hearts for love's transcendence. Witch's hearts—elongated and curved—protected love from evil interference.
Love's Messengers and Tools
Cupid appeared with his full arsenal: arrows to pierce hearts, bows to launch love, torches to kindle passion, and blindfolds indicating love's irrationality. Sometimes just his tools appeared, allowing more subtle romantic declaration. Cupid riding various animals—dolphins, lions, or snails—added humorous touches to romantic messages.
Bonds and Connections
Love knots in gold demonstrated unbreakable bonds, their continuous form symbolising eternal connection. Clasped hands indicated friendship, engagement, or agreement. Chains, despite their association with bondage, represented willing connection when crafted in precious metals. These symbols allowed public display of private relationships.
Death, Memory, and Mourning
While full mourning jewellery had passed from fashion, Edwardian jewellery still incorporated memento mori and memorial symbols, albeit with lighter touch than Victorian predecessors.
Gentle Remembrance
Forget-me-nots in turquoise and pearl provided cheerful remembrance rather than morbid dwelling. Pansies, from the French "pensée" (thought), indicated thinking of someone. Weeping willows appeared in stylised form, their drooping branches suggesting gentle sorrow rather than overwhelming grief.
Transformation Symbols
Butterflies represented the soul's transformation and resurrection, their jewelled wings suggesting beauty beyond death. Phoenixes rising from flames promised renewal. Serpents eating their tails (ouroboros) indicated eternal return. These symbols offered comfort without the heavy mourning of earlier periods.
Hidden Memorials
Memorial elements were often concealed within seemingly decorative pieces: lockets containing photographs or hair, hollow charms holding ashes, and reverse of stones engraved with dates or initials. This allowed remembrance without obvious mourning display.
Professional and Fraternal Symbols
Edwardian jewellery frequently incorporated professional and fraternal symbols, indicating membership in exclusive organisations or pride in vocational achievement.
Masonic and Fraternal Orders
Masonic symbols appeared in both obvious and concealed forms: square and compass arrangements, all-seeing eyes, pillars representing Jachin and Boaz, and acacia sprigs indicating immortality. Other fraternal orders had their own symbols: Odd Fellows' three-link chains, Knights Templar crosses, and Eastern Star pentagrams.
Professional Pride
Medical professionals wore caduceus pins (though technically incorrect—the Rod of Asclepius was the proper medical symbol). Legal professionals displayed scales of justice. Military insignia appeared in gem-set versions. These pieces declared professional identity whilst maintaining decorative appeal.
Club and Society Badges
Exclusive clubs commissioned jewelled versions of their badges: yacht club burgees in enamel, golf club crests in gold, and university arms in gems. These pieces served as portable credentials, immediately identifying the wearer's social affiliations to those who could read the symbols.
Whimsical and Humorous Symbols
Not all Edwardian symbols carried deep meaning; some simply displayed the era's love of whimsy and visual puns.
Visual Puns and Rebuses
Edwardians delighted in visual wordplay: eye miniatures for "I", hearts for "love", and "U" shapes creating "I love you" messages. Names were spelled in symbols: a bee for "Bea", a rose for "Rose". These playful pieces demonstrated wit whilst maintaining decorative appeal.
Amusing Situations
Humorous brooches depicted amusing scenarios: mice stealing cheese, cats chasing their tails, dogs begging, and monkeys in human situations. These pieces provided conversation starters and demonstrated the wearer didn't take themselves too seriously.
Mechanical Jokes
Some pieces incorporated mechanical elements for humorous effect: jack-in-the-boxes that actually popped, champagne bottles with corks that moved, and mouths that opened to reveal tongues. These pieces combined technical innovation with gentle humour.
Reading the Complete Message
Understanding Edwardian symbolic jewellery requires reading pieces as complete compositions rather than individual symbols. The combination and arrangement of elements created complex messages.
Symbolic Combinations
An anchor with roses indicated hope in love. A horseshoe surrounding a four-leaf clover doubled lucky protection. A heart pierced by an arrow but crowned suggested love's triumph over adversity. These combinations allowed nuanced expression beyond single symbols.
Colour Symbolism
Gem colours added meaning layers: red for passion, blue for constancy, green for hope, white for purity, and black for elegance or mourning. The choice of metal also mattered: gold for sun and masculinity, silver for moon and femininity, and platinum for modernity and strength.
Hidden and Revealed Messages
Some pieces featured multiple meaning levels: surface decoration visible to all, symbolic meaning understood by the educated, personal significance known only to giver and receiver, and hidden elements (opening compartments, reverse engravings) completely private. This layering allowed public wear of intimate messages.
Modern Interpretation and Collecting
Collecting Edwardian symbolic jewellery requires understanding both period meanings and modern interpretations. Some symbols have changed meaning, others have been forgotten, and new scholarship continues revealing previously unknown significances.
Research and Documentation
Understanding symbolic jewellery requires period research using contemporary jewellery catalogues showing available symbols, etiquette books explaining proper usage, personal letters and diaries describing meanings, and museum collections with documented pieces. Original boxes and cards often explain symbolism.
Condition and Completeness
Symbolic jewellery's meaning can be altered by damage or restoration: missing elements may change messages, replaced stones might alter colour symbolism, and worn engravings could obscure important details. Understanding original appearance is crucial for proper interpretation.
Building Meaningful Collections
Collectors might focus on specific symbol categories, complete symbolic sentences or messages, pieces with documented meanings, symbols from particular cultures or traditions, or evolution of symbols across periods. Understanding symbolism enhances both collecting pleasure and investment potential.
Edwardian symbolic jewellery created a rich visual language allowing complex communication through precious materials. From simple lucky horseshoes to elaborate mythological scenes, these pieces encoded beliefs, relationships, and aspirations in gold and gems. Understanding this symbolic vocabulary opens windows into Edwardian minds, revealing a society balancing modern progress with ancient superstitions, public propriety with private passion, and serious symbolism with playful whimsy. For modern collectors, these pieces offer not just beautiful jewellery but puzzles to decode, stories to discover, and connections to an era when jewellery spoke volumes to those who knew how to read its glittering language.