If you already collect vintage earrings, or if you'd like to start collecting them, it's a good idea to be able to identify what era they come from. And within the different eras, there are movements. It can all sound a little bit daunting, but that's where I want to help you out. In this article I'll give you a bit of background on the Rococo movement, which began in the 18th century during the Georgian period, in England.


In days gone by, royalty set styles, in much the same way that celebrities do today. When Kings and Queens introduced new music, art, architecture, or style to their court the rest of society followed with great enthusiasm, and almost falling over themselves to emulate God's chosen ones. As well as advances in machinery capabilities, and the current affairs of the day, it seems that the styles of an era can be quite reflective of the personality and vision of the Kings and Queens at the time.


The Baroque style had dominated for the previous two centuries (16th through to 18th), but across the English Channel the succession of Louis XV to the throne of France, in 1715, created quite a ripple in terms of style. Out went the serious, very regimented settings for jewelry, and in came a much more flamboyant style. Asymmetrical stone arrangements were favored over the symmetrical Baroque style. There was no longer a penchant for the once common three pendant pearl earrings: there was fluidity and flirtation.


Jewelry designers such as Thomas Flach, Albini, Christian Taute, and Girolami Venturi all embraced the playfulness of the movement, using the outside world to inspire them. When you look at some Rococo vintage earrings you can see that they are rather ostentatious and quite obviously inspired by nature. In fact the word Rococo comes from the words rocaille and coquilles, which translated from French literally means stone and shell. This gives you a bit of a clue to not only the materials used in the jewellery, but of the inspiration behind the designs. But as well as stones and shells, feathers, foliage and insects all featured in the jewelry.


It's interesting to note that whilst we call this movement Rococo, the term wasn't used in English until around 1836, and when it was introduced it was used quite disparagingly to mean "old-fashioned". But as a testament to the beauty and longevity, the Rococo movement saw a revival by the mid 19th century. Whether you purchase a pair of original Rococo vintage earrings, or a pair from the revival you'll possess a very fun, and stunning piece of jewely.