Cut steel jewellery is a form of jewellery composed of steel that was popular between the 18th century and the end of the 1930s. [1] [2]
Cut steel jewellery is a form of jewellery composed of steel that was popular between the 18th century and the end of the 1930s. [1] [2]
The basic design of cut steel jewellery is a thin metal baseplate onto which closely placed steel studs were riveted or scewed. [3] [4] The baseplate could be made from various metals such as brass, tin or silver alloys. [3] Early cut steel consisted of individual steel studs that had been polished and inserted into metal frames. [1] More complicated designs used multiple baseplates held together by small bits of metal. [3] In the early 19th century the manufacturing process shifted towards using stamped strips in place of individual steel studs. [1] The idea behind the design was that the polished steel faces would catch the light and sparkle in a similar way to the then highly fashionable diamonds. [3]
The studs were made by forming them from steel and giving them a partial polish before case-hardening and giving them a final polish. [4] Aside from the studs some items of cut steel jewellery used highly polished steel chains in their design. [3]
Cut steel was combined with precious and semi precious materials such as jet and pearls. [5] Alternatively plaques of Jasperware and Bilston enamel feature in some designs. [5] Plaques from further afield also appear to have been used with some appearing to come from Italy and Switzerland. [5]
It has been suggested that cut steel jewellery dates back as far as the 16th century. [2] This is based on a single reference from 1598 and it is far from clear if it is talking about steel at all. [2] Less ambiguous evidence shows that from around 1720 cut steel was manufactured in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. [2] Exactly what was manufactured is poorly documented but by 1761 it included worn items such as buckles and watch chains as well as scissors. [2] Exactly when purely decorative items first appeared is also unclear but "Stars for the nobility" are attested from 1778. [2] Production in Birmingham became common latter in the century with Matthew Boulton being a prominent producer. [6] The move away from Woodstock produced a switch from screwed studs to riveted studs. [4] While the latter approach was cheaper it meant the jewellery could no longer be fully disassembled for cleaning. [4] One of the major production items of 18th century cut steel was the shoe buckle and it is possible that the decline in the fashion for wearing buckles towards the end of the century drove the diversification of cut steel jewellery. [7]
France served as a major export market but this was interrupted when war broke out 1793. [8] The popularity of cut steel in France may in part have been due to sumptuary laws which limited who could wear precious metals and diamonds. [9] Manufacture of cut steel within France is attested from 1780 and by the start of the 1820s France had a large amount of domestic production of cut steel. [8] With the end of the Napoleonic wars British produces again started exporting to France. [8] The fashion for cut steel jewellery in France was probably given a boost when Napoleon married his second wife Marie Louise and presented her with a parure consisting of cut steel jewellery as he was unable to afford one made with gemstones. [10]
The quality and use of cut steel jewellery declined throughout the second half of the 19th century with stamped strips replacing individual rivets and pieces becoming increasingly flimsy, [10] the final production ending in the 1930s. [1]
Over the long term cut steel jewellery has proven brittle resulting in relatively small amounts surviving to the present day. [1] Collections of cut steel jewellery are held by a number of museums including Lady Lever Art Gallery [11] Birmingham Museums Trust [12] and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. [13] Matthew Bolton's pattern book has also survived in the collection of Birmingham Archives and Heritage. [4]
Chain mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was generally in common military use between the 3rd century BC and the 16th century AD in Europe, and longer in Asia and North Africa. A coat of this armour is often referred to as a hauberk, and sometimes a byrnie.
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A brooch is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with gemstones and may be solely for ornament or serve a practical function as a clothes fastener. The earliest known brooches are from the Bronze Age. As fashions in brooches changed rather quickly, they are important chronological indicators. In archaeology, ancient European brooches are usually referred to by the Latin term fibula.
Woodstock is a market town and civil parish 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 3,100. Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is next to Woodstock, in the parish of Blenheim. Winston Churchill was born in the palace in 1874 and buried in the nearby village of Bladon. Edward, elder son of King Edward III and heir apparent, was born in Woodstock Manor on 15 June 1330. In his lifetime he was commonly called Edward of Woodstock, but is known today as the Black Prince. In the reign of Queen Mary I, her half-sister Elizabeth was imprisoned in the gatehouse of Woodstock Manor.
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The toy industry in Birmingham was an economic sector that produced small goods in any material. Edmund Burke described Birmingham in Parliament in 1777 as "the great Toy Shop of Europe".
The buckle or clasp is a device used for fastening two loose ends, with one end attached to it and the other held by a catch in a secure but adjustable manner. Often taken for granted, the invention of the buckle was indispensable in securing two ends before the invention of the zipper. The basic buckle frame comes in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the intended use and fashion of the era. Buckles are as much in use today as they have been in the past: used for much more than just securing ones belt, instead they are one of the most dependable devices in securing a range of items.
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