Jewelry styles don't change overnight, trends develop and ease slowly into popular acceptance. That said, trends from the early Victorian era continued in popularity as new trends were introduced.

In England, the gold content laws were changed in the mid-1800's to standardize gold at 9, 12, and 15 karats. (Up until then the term "gold" meant 18 - 22 karat.) At this same time, laws made it mandatory that hallmarks be applied to show gold content.

With the death of Queen Victoria's husband (Prince Albert in 1861), mourning jewelry was more in demand. The Queen, herself, never wore anything but full mourning attire for the rest of her life. Mourning jewelry and clothing of the Victorian era followed a strict protocol. After a year of full mourning (requiring all black jewelry and clothing), half-mourning colors such as gray, mauve, or purple were allowed back into the wardrobe. (It invited public censure if one didn't adhere to these guidelines.) Black materials: Jet, Onyx, Gutta Percha, French Jet, and Bog Oak were common materials for mourning jewelry.

Current events, new ideas, and ancient finds were reflected in the jewelry of the time. Discoveries from the ancient sites of Herculaneum, Pompeii, Egypt, and Greece, helped create a demand for jewelry created in ancient designs, i.e. Egyptian Scarabs and Sphinxes. Mico-mosaics and Pieta Dura mosaics, discovered in ancient ruins, created a demand for this type of jewelry.

Mico-mosaics are made of tiny stone or glass tiles called tessarae. These are arranged into a setting to create a picture and polished. In the best Micro-mosaics, up to 1,400 tessarae are used to a square inch. Landscape, architectural, and portraiture scenes were created using this method and are very detailed and fragile. (Avoid buying damaged pieces - they're difficult to repair.) Pieta Dura designs are made by inlaying pieces of hard stone to create a design. Stone pieces used are much larger than those in Micro-mosaics and the designs are usually simpler. Newer examples of both of these techniques are still being made but the quality is lower - the tessarae are larger, cruder, and don't lie in their settings as smoothly as older examples.

Travel was easier during this era and naturally, travelers have always wanted mementos from their trips. Sightseers to Italy and the Mediterranean purchased Micro-mosaics, Lava, and Coral jewelry. India offered Ivory and Tiger claw jewelry (made from hunting relics) set into gold or silver and sometimes accented with gems.

To provide a private residence for their growing family, Queen Victoria and her husband bought Balmoral Castle in Scotland and became fascinated with all things Scottish. This sparked an interest for jewelry pieces designed to reflect ancient Celtic motifs made of Cairngorms and Agates. Pieces of Scottish Pebble jewelry use various colors of Agate set in Silver or Gold making beautiful and richly colorful accessories. Some bracelets were not so specific to locale, and just had the letters "SOUVENIR" incorporated into the design.

Another brief jewelry fad around 1885, involved the making of items from the wheel caps of old watches, called Watch Cocks. These round, flat pieces of the chase-work fittings came from inside antique watches and are highly ornamental. Once removed from the watch, they were connected by "o" rings and made into bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

It was in the Victorian era that Opals first gained the reputation for bringing bad luck to anyone who wore it, other than as a birthstone. There are two theories as to why this belief became common. One cites the French jewelry industry as the culprit - creating and spreading this rumor to damage the Opal trade. (Most Opals came from Australia, an English territory and were considered a threat to gems that came from France or French territories.) The other theory is that Sir Walter Scott popularized the belief in a best selling book he wrote about an Opal that brought catastrophe to one of the characters.