Victorian Jewellery with Dr. Dorothea Burstyn

CSDA/CCAD Sundays, Expert Series presents Victorian Jewellery with Dr. Dorthea Burstyn

Session Details

Queen Victoria had enormous influence on fashion and jewellery during her long reign (1837-1901). Whatever she favoured, her subjects wanted and copied. During her romance with – and marriage to – Prince Albert, jewellery expressing courtship, friendship and eternal love became popular. When the Royal Couple developed a special interest in Scotland, pebble jewellery using a variety of Scottish stones came into vogue and was so favored that even Birmingham jewellers started to make “Scottish jewellery.” Finally, after Queen Victoria was widowed, mourning jewellery featuring jet and pearls was all the rage. Join guest speaker Dr. Dorothea Burstyn as she walks us through the various stages of Victorian jewellery in this richly illustrated talk.

Speaker Bio

Dorothea Burstyn graduated from the University of Vienna with a Doctorate in Philosophy (Art History). After coming to Canada, she worked in the jewellery industry for about 15 years. She is a co-founder and past president of the Silver Society of Canada. She now serves as their treasurer and is editor of their journal.

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Members attend free, $10 CAD to non-members. Our members enjoy access to past and upcoming presentations, receive our award-winning magazine, Ornamentum, and so much more. Join our community of decorative arts and design lovers – become a member today! 

Not sure you can attend live? We’ve got you covered! A video recording of this presentation will be made available to all those who reserve/purchase tickets.

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The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs (CSDA/CCAD) is a national, non-profit organization founded in 1981 for the study, appreciation, and promotion of design and decorative arts in Canada through programming and publications. The CSDA/CCAD publishes Ornamentum magazine twice yearly, with articles in both French and English written by makers, scholars, collectors, and journalists. Ornamentum is the only magazine dedicated to design and decorative arts in Canada. 

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Images: (1) Snake ring similar to one given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria (2) close-up of pebble jewellery bracelet with hand detail (3) large collection of name brooches (4) scroll turquoise bracelet with forget-me-not flower motif. Images courtesy of Dr. Dorothea Burstyn.