Antique gold jewelry is appreciated for classic beauty, exquisite craftsmanship, and history that comes along with each antique piece of jewelry. Unlike the contemporary ones, antique jewelry just speaks about the element of mystery surrounding its history, which makes every single piece special. In the article, we will take a look at some of the foremost popular styles of antique gold jewelry and their meanings. With insight into the historical and cultural meaning that gives them such an appreciation today, let's find out how much these antique pieces are really worth.

1. Victorian Gold Jewellery 1837-1901
It is during the Victorian era – which was from Queen Victoria of England – which the greatest mass change and innovation in design has been made in the history of jewelry. Characteristically the jewelry from the era is intrinsically detailed in design and usually comes in the form of hearts, bows, flowers, serpents and other motifs, which were not there to beautify but were seen to hold deep symbolic meanings.

The snake motif was especially popular because Prince Albert presented Queen Victoria with a snake ring as a symbol of eternal love. Quite often, it was taken as a symbol of eternity and wisdom. Lockets belonged to another typical category of things often found in Victorian jewelry; they quite often enclosed hair or little portraits of dear to the heart people and, therefore, were worn as mnemonic tokens.

Most people subdivide Victorian gold jewellery into three phases: Early, Mid, and Late Victorian, allowing one to bring out the different trends in society and art of that time. Thus, Early Victoria was gained by Romanticism and the Mid-Victorian by tastes more somber and Gothic with many dark stones and mourning themes. In its turn, Late in Victoria, the jewels were light, fancy, and delicate in character, and expressed the optimism and prosperity of the times.

2. Edwardian Gold Jewellery, 1901-1910
The Edwardian era, short duration; produced some of the highest quality gold jewelry ever made. The period has been described as an era of refinement and sophistication in styles and jewelry, named after King Edward VII. Gold combined with platinum gave light, delicate and intricate work to the product in these pieces. 

Similarly, filigree work is the leading factor in Edwardian gold jewelry, which generally entailed twisting and beating fine gold wires before forming them into a lace-like pattern. It created a light and airy feel to jewelry, which was highly responsive to the complicated yet light designs of the era. The common motifs used were garlands, bows, laurel wreath, and floral patterns, symbolizing femininity, love, and purity.

One of the most outstanding novelties of the period is the full use of diamonds and pearls combined with gold. The designs being complicated and often the precious stones being filled with a mixture of metals, even glittering and scintillating, which high society so much values, it is still greatly commended up to this day of being an epitome of timelessness and sophistication in design.

3. Art Nouveau Gold Jewelry (1890-1910)
A new wave of imagination and invention swept through jewelry design in the last half of the 19th century: Art Nouveau. The sinuous lines and feeling for movement that are characteristics of Art Nouveau gave gold jewelry of that time embellishment with organic motifs, like flowers, leaves, insects, and female figures.

Art Nouveau gold jewelry rose to greatness because it broke all bindings of traditional design. Asymmetry and lack of uniformity on one hand made pieces more fluid and expressive, and on the other hand, color was added with enamel over the gold.

The importance of Art Nouveau jewellery is its appreciation of nature and, correspondingly, the role that women play. Art Nouveau was a reaction against industrialization at the time and sought to return the individual to the natural world and the spirit of man. Today, Art Nouveau gold jewellery represents an artistic value for its portrayal of a time when art and nature worked harmoniously together.

4. Georgian Gold Jewellery (1714-1837)
The Georgian era is earlier and more highly decorated in very ornate, baroque-styled gold jewelry; the period of this use of jewelry is marked by deeper, warmer tones of gold, intricately formed by hand. Among the popular jewelry produced in the Georgian period are brooches, necklaces, and earrings coupled with gemstones like garnets, topaz, and certainly diamonds.

One may say that the prevalence of repoussé in Georgian gold jewelry was the most typical characteristic. It is a technique by which the metal was hammered from the reverse side to raise the design; it is exactly this technique that gave the possibility to create such intricate and detailed patterns that would be done exactly in a decorative way.

Those in the Georgian era also presented symbolic designs in their jewelry, consisting of hearts, doves, and clasped hands, which should stand for love, loyalty, and friendship. These kinds of jewelry were normally crafted as love tokens and highly valued by the owners who wore them. At present, the antique connoisseurs feel a qualitative and quantitatively high value for this kind of Georgian gold jewellery as it is highly worked and detailed.

5. Retro Gold Jewellery: 1935-1950
It was during the 1930s and 1940s that Retro design made its way towards the limelight. This was when bold and glamorous jewelry designs were at their peak. Retro gold jewelry was large and chunky; completed with geometric shapes and bright colors, coming right in the heyday of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Perhaps one of the most distinctive hallmarks of Retro gold jewelry is the use of rose gold, which was so valued in those years. In fact, rose gold, because of its small pinkish warm color, was very often matched to yellow and white gold to create a multicolored effect—striking but very elegant.

Most of the retro jewelry pieces were based on themes of bows, ribbons, and flowers, speaking for some degree of femininity and glamour in every piece. Over-sized cocktail rings, wide bracelet bangles and bold necklaces were also characteristic of this period. This kind of jewelry is not meaningless at all, because it reflects the time that everything big ruled and extravagant, hence the Retro gold jewelry reflects the optimism and fortitude of that particular epoch.

Conclusion
Antique gold jewelry styles provide deep insights into the history, culture, and art of the ages. Whether it be in the sentimental motifs of Victorian jewelry, the elegance of Edwardian designs, the artistic beauty of Art Nouveau, the opulence of Georgian pieces, or the bold glamour of Retro styles, every era has its special significance and charm, respectively. It is not just about being in fashion; rather, it is something that links us more to the past, the workmanship, and, above all, the stories linked with the pieces that have passed down the generations.