After the Revolution – American Jewelry Style

It’s that time of year again! When we celebrate the Fourth of July, I always try to tell stories that have a uniquely American perspective. And so today, I have been thinking about American jewelry. Like, is there such a thing? Are there pieces out there that people can look at and say yes, that’s an American necklace.

So, as it turns out, not really….. What a bummer, right? But it turns out that’s the case only with modern jewelry. Not so in the past! I was able to dig up some intel that showed there really was such a thing as American jewelry, back when our little America was just a baby.

TV inspires me

I must confess to you all that I have been a bit obsessed with the tv show, Turn: Washington’s Spies. If you’re not familiar, it’s an AMC series about a spy ring during the Revolutionary War. (It’s a great series, if you need something to put in your binge-watching queue, I highly recommend it.) Anyway, that tv obsession got me looking into jewelry in colonial and early America. And it turns out that was the time period where there truly was an American jewelry style.

This is the actress who played Peggy Shippen in Turn. She marries Benedict Arnold, notorious traitor. She always had the best clothes and jewelry in the show.

I know that my own history of early America is rather rusty, and I bet yours is too. So here's a quick refresher to understand why the jewelry was so significant.

Before the war

Before the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and the cries of “no taxation without representation,” there was the evil Stamp Act of 1765. This was a direct tax only for colonists on items like newspapers, wills, deeds, and even playing cards and dice. American colonists were absolutely infuriated with it, and maintained it was unconstitutional. Perhaps. It was so unpopular that the British repealed it that very next year. But, (and this is important!) they maintained they had the authority to tax whatever they wanted. See, they were heavily in debt after the fighting with the French for seven years and wanted revenue from all their colonies.

The Americans were not interested in raising money for the British Empire to fight more wars, or pay debts from past wars. They wanted their taxes to go for their needs, in their communities. They were eager to forge their own path, and not be dependent on the British for anything.

First Lady Martha Washington's garnets and seed pearl jewelry.

That included jewelry. Before, much of the jewelry had been brought over from London or Paris. During this period, you started to see American jewelers have an interest in creating their own pieces, although the materials still sometimes came from abroad.

During the war

After 10 years of simmering anger towards the British, the American Revolution began in 1775. This was the year of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, the year that Paul Revere made his famous ride, and the year that American patriots killed lots of British solders. It all meant that we were really, truly at war with the British. There was no going back.

Paul Revere was also an expert silversmith and engraver. This teapot is an excellent example of his work. (image courtesy of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts)

What a lot of people don’t realize is that the American Revolution was not a short little war. We hear quite a bit about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which took place in 1776. But there was ongoing fighting, battles, and people dying, well into 1781. That’s six years!

Jewelry was one of the first items to help fund the colonial war effort. After church, the collection bowl was often passed around, and people were encouraged to donate. The new America needed money not just for supplies, but to pay the soldiers for their service. Any jewelry collected was melted down and sold for cash.

Most jewelers quit making and selling jewelry and turned to other metalwork. Like making swords.

After the war….

In the period after the Revolutionary War, the 1780’s to about 1800, Americans were incredibly proud of their newfound independence. But it had come at a cost. Everyone knew someone who had died. Properties had been seized, allegiances to the Americans or the British turned former friends into enemies. Many businesses had been caught in the middle, forced to pick a side when all they wanted to do was to sell their product or service to anyone who would pay them.

It was important to them to identify as Americans. That carried over to their jewelry, giving that period right after the war a uniquely American style. Below I’ll talk about some very common things seen in American jewelry during this period. Things that we really don’t see any more.

Garnets were also popular in this time period.

Hair Jewelry

So when I say hair jewelry, I don’t mean a clip you use to hold your hair. I mean jewelry made with actual human hair. I will be honest and tell you this kind of jewelry really creeps me out. However, I know a ton of antique jewelry fans who love the stuff, and think it’s beautiful. It’s certainly unique, and limited to a specific time period.

If you think about it, hair is the only part of the human body that doesn’t decompose after death (because hair is essentially dead anyway). If you want to remember someone who was special to you, taking a lock of their hair after they have died isn’t really that unusual or hard to understand. There are tons of stories about historical figures keeping hair jewelry as a cherished memento.

Hair jewelry wasn’t just used for mourning. It was also an expression of love and devotion. Spouses (like George and Martha Washington) often had each other’s locks of hair. Your local goldsmith was your go-to person and he (yes, it was always a he) made you what you wanted.

Miniature portraits

The Americans wanted jewelry that was meaningful. The war had taken its toll with separations of distance and death. They turned to portraits to have a memento of their loved ones, near or far, living or dead. The miniatures were often worn as a necklace or bracelet, tied with a simple ribbon. Sometimes the portrait was made into a ring.

Goldsmiths of the time learned the art of mini portraits, and artists back then learned how to set their work in little gold cases. Like hair jewelry, the portraits were for mourning as well as for love. They served as a token, living or dead, of the person they wanted to remember. Portraits of family or lovers were common. But most popular were portrait rings showing heroes from the Revolutionary War. Most popular of all were any portraits of George Washington. Even better if it came with a lock of his hair (rumored to be red).

And, of course, pearls!

Pearls were incredibly popular. Not the cultured, large, perfectly round pearls we have today. Instead, there were seed pearls. Cheap and imported from India and China, seed pearls were everywhere, in furniture, on draperies, wallpaper, and of course, jewelry. Everyone loved gold jewelry with white pearls.

The use of seed pearls in jewelry was really common in colonial America.

Cluster seed pearl earrings were widely available, as were single pearl drop earrings. In necklaces, rings, and brooches, pearls mixed with the gemstones or the time, ususally garnet or topaz.

Pearls were a sign of tradition and purity, so it’s only natural they became popular for wedding jewelry. Pearl tiaras, pearl necklaces, and pearl sets were a common wedding gift. In fact, it’s probably from this era that family pearls got passed down from generation to generation.

Mix and Match

You can see from the pictures throughout this post that all of these styles – the hair, the portraits, the pearls, were mixed together for various pieces. Plus garnets. Everyone liked those too.

What do you think of these new American styles of jewelry? Do you have a favorite? Let me know below in the comments.

This post has been edited and updated since it was originally posted on July 5, 2018.