Ceramics in Vintage Jewellery

About Ceramic Jewellery

Antique Jewellery and Vintage Jewellery has been made with ceramics for as long as clay has been used to make pots, since prehistoric times. 

This picture shows a necklace made of long ceramic beads and pottery beetle shaped stones which could originate from any time from between the ancient Egyptian times and the 1920s.

Antique Ceramic necklace

How do I know if my Jewellery is made of  pottery or porcelain?

Ceramics used in jewellery include both  pottery and porcelain and these can be found as beads and as plaques. Porcelain and pottery have a difference composition and porcelain is fired at a much higher temperature.

 Pottery tends to look a little more naive and simple than porcelain however the best way of telling the difference is to shine a bright light through the piece. A bright light will show through porcelain but not pottery. Pottery needs a glaze or it becomes porous ( as in terracotta pots)  but porcelain has a natural glassy surface which is impervious to water.

Porcelain brooch

Care of ceramic jewellery

Ceramic jewellery can easily be chipped and so you should take care not to knock or drop it.  Porcelain can be washed carefully if there are no other materials involved in the piece of jewellery however I would not wash pottery jewellery unless I was sure that the glaze was in good condition. A brush with a soft brush will keep dust off.

Special types of ceramic jewellery

Painted porcelain jewellery

During the Victorian era and for much of the 1900s hand painted ceramic plaques were popular for use in jewellery. During the Victorian era you would often find classical scenes which had been transferred to jewellery and then set into materials such as jet:

Porcelain jet pendant

Wedgwood Jasper Jewellery

Wedgwood jasper has been used in jewellery since the 1700s and is very collectable today.  Look out for pieces with unusual designs and colours such as this Wedgwood jasper and silver necklace:

Wedgwood Jasper necklace

A very unusual Wedgwood Jasper necklace made of silver and set with a blue jasper plaque featuring a goddess. The silver is also set with diamante. The Wedgwood Logo is stamped into the reverse of this piece and the fully hallmarked silver can be dated to the early 1990s. The pendant part of the necklace measures about 4.4 cms wide and up to 3 cms high. In total this necklace measures about 46 cms long. A very rare piece of vintage jewellery

A personal favourite

Ruskin pottery cabochon jewellery is a personal favourite of mine. These pottery plaques have been made by several different art pottery companies the most desirable of which are when the cabochons are stamped “Ruskin” on the reverse, the makers mark of the Ruskin pottery. You can find unmarked cabochons and I have seen them by Bretby and Maw.

Ruskin silver arts crafts pendant necklace

This vintage arts and crafts pendant is set with a Ruskin type cabochon surrounded by 4 roses and pearls. A really lovely original piece of vintage jewellery. This pendant comes ready to wear complete on a silver chain. The chain measures about 36 cms long. The pendant is about 2.8 cms wide