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Cut steel jewelry

Cut Steel In the 18th century, Wolverhampton was highly thought of as a centre for making cut steel jewelry. This kind of jewelry was made from steel studs cut into faceted shapes and then very highly polished. In the 1700s it was fashionable for wealthy ladies to wear elaborate jewelry. It may have been that steel jewelry was worn during the day as imitation jewels for safety and no doubt steel jewelry came in all price brackets but at the time it was fashionable and prized in its own right. Sometimes it could be very expensive. As the 18th century progressed, cut steel jewelery, made in Wolverhampton, became famous for its intricacy and sparkle. Cut Steel is polished steel faceted studs riveted to a steel backing to create jewelry and ornaments, buttons and chatelaines. Popular from the Georgian through the Victorian eras, cut steel jewelry in the warm glow of candlelight must have been something to behold. Motifs varied from the simple to the sublime, with multiple layers and densely packed studs. Designs could be enhanced by the use of varying sized studs as well. In very old Cut steel each stud could have up to 16 facets, and in general the finer and older the piece the more facets the studs will have. Made in both England and Europe, this style of jewelry fell out of favor around the turn of the 19th century, but I still love it. I put all the characteristics of authentic Berlin Iron jewelry in a row for you. That can only help if you want to know if you are indeed dealing with this type of jewelry: • Magnetic, so iron • Often black lacquered, sometimes grey or bronze • Feels cold • Light in weight • Components of the brooch not welded but sit with rings together • The stem is extremely long and brooches has c-clasps • The c-clasp and hinge are fixed by means of rings • Has sharp edges • Has no blurry edges • The surface must be fine–grained