You grew up cutting out photos from Vogue to create collages to post on your wall – and now you organize the photo shoots you used to deconstruct.

Your clothing is from the hottest designers, and is always on-trend -  and, of course, so is your jewelry.

All of this makes you the Fashion Bride.

The great thing about fashion is that it has a tradition of recycling styles, which means you can always pull from a well-stocked antique arsenal season after season and be perfectly en vogue.

This season, it’s all about big, chunky statement pieces.

So, pair your designer dress with a statement Victorian necklace and bold drop earrings. You already have an eye-popping engagement ring, so why not forgo a traditional wedding band for an interesting figural right hand ring?

Art Deco Emerald Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

Rose Cut Diamond Snake Ring

Faceted Onyx and Engraved Gold Earrings

Victorian Necklace

Tags: Art Deco engagement ring, snake ring, Victorian necklace.

The Victorian era was when many jewelry trends were popularized – partly because of the rise of the industrial revolution and the development of better ways to produce jewelry, and partly because of the stylish matriarch Queen Victoria.

Much of the jewelry from this era was fashioned in yellow gold.  Often, the center stones of these rings were not diamonds, but rubies or sapphires.

If a ring from the Victorian era is set with diamonds – it is often a rose cut or Old European cut, which was how many diamonds were cut during that time.

Many rings that would be considered engagement rings, both then and now,  from the Victorian era do not look like the traditional solitaire, but are designed as a flowerhead or snake,  set in buttercup settings or even resemble a more ‘masculine’ style ring.

Pink Sapphire Ring

Victorian Buttercup Set Diamond Ring

Old European Cut Diamond Enamel Ring

Tags: engagement ring, old european cut diamond, snake ring, Victorian jewelry.

October is Halloween’s month – a time when all things scary, dark and a little bit weird are allowed to come out and play.

Victorian-era jewelry is fashioned from some uncommon design materials – hair, black enamel, coral and seed pearls – and utilizes  themes and motifs such as animals, flora and memory to a fetching end.

Whether it be coral grape cluster earrings, a black enameled locket or a ruby-set snake ring – draping yourself in Victorian jewelry is so much better than wearing a Halloween costume.

Here are a few dark beauties that have me under a spell:

This Knights of Pythias Fob on a Hair Chain ($350) is indeed made from real hair.  Weaving hair jewelry became a popular drawing room pastime during the Victorian era.  As photographs weren’t common, or cheap, at the time, wearing someone’s hair on your person became a tangible substitute.

Knights of Pythias Hair Necklace

Made from calcareous skeltons of marine animals, otherwise known as coral, these  Coral Grape Cluster Earrings ($1500) are a great example of the popularity of coral jewelry during the Victorian era. Victorians loved coral, both because it was believed to posses the power to ward off evil and danger, and for its ease to work with – it also fills the perfect niche for designs calling for accents of leaves and flowers.

Coral Grape Cluster Earrings

It’s crazy that not even the delicate seed pearls of this Victorian Pearl and Enamel Locket ($1200) are its most beautiful design feature. The face is also decorated with fine lines of black enamel and a raised floral pattern that gives it a feeling both goth and romantic.

Victorian Pearl and Enamel Locket

After being a hit at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851, enameling was revivied in many forms during the 19th century. A fine example is this Black Trace Enamel Gold Bangle Bracelet ($985). For me, the design conjures aspects  of embellished 19th century architecture.

Black Trace Enamel Gold Bangle Bracelet

I will not repeat that snake line from Indiana Jones when describing snake jewelry ever, ever again. That said, I love snakes, as did the Victorians. While some may view them as slithery, and slightly creepy, I say yes, they are, and that is just their allure. This Ruby Set Snake Ring ($850) has slithered its way into my heart, and perhaps onto my hand?

Ruby Set Snake Ring

Tags: coral earrings, hair jewelry, Locket, snake ring, victorian.